Zugzwang
by Lilyholics
Summary: Set in the year 2188, 51 years have passed since Akatsuki dropped five nuclear bombs on the five kingdoms. After the attack the Akatsuki disappeared with no trace and no explanation. Over 50 years later, the world might finally get some answers when a young soldier stumbles into an intricate ploy that reveals just how little the world knows. Dystopian AU KakashixOCxItachi
1. Homecoming

Setting

2137, the year every child in this world knows by heart. This was the year when earth was lost for future generations. The Great Disaster of 2137, they call it, took place on the twentieth of March when the terrorist organisation Akatsuki deployed five atomic bombs. One bomb for each kingdom – they had not been very subtle in symbolism.

At the time the five great kingdoms were at peace – a hard won peace that was balanced upon the edge of a blade. The political relationships between nations could be called chilly at best, but the long wars for territory were still fresh in their memories and somehow the five leaders unanimously agreed that a future war should be avoided at all costs.

From 2120 until 2130 the kingdoms skirmished and battled for territory and dominance until the leaders, albeit reluctantly, sat down and signed a peace treaty. The economy was in shambles, the people were starving, tired and were demanding for the next generation of children to look up into the sky and see the endless big blue, not the shadow of an enemy plane.

Of course, despite their best efforts, such idle dreams were rarely sustainable.

At precisely 10:50 AM on the twentieth of March Konoha military received an anonymous warning. It was quickly broadcasted to the other four governments, the message was simple: 'Leave the planet, get as many people out as you can. Akatsuki is launching a nuclear attack in an hour.'

Why the Akatsuki even issued a warning is still debated. Perhaps they were hoping to cause more panic this way? It made no sense, but in the wake of a catastrophe, it was the last thing on anyone's mind.

There weren't enough space ships to evacuate the entire human population. Never had anyone anticipated such a situation – it was beyond comprehension that someone would try to destroy the planet in such a manner. It was a desperate scramble to muster enough supplies to sustain the rescued population until they reached the outer colony.

The first ones to be evacuated were prominent families, leaders, councillors, scientists and other irreplaceable personnel who took it upon themselves to bring along as much data about anything and everything for future generations.

Leaderships were faced with one of the most difficult decision in history – how to pick the civilian families who'd get to board the shuttles? Of the civilian population, nearly eighty percent were left behind simply because the nations lacked time and room. Kirigakure never even broadcasted the news to their civilians, well aware that the intel would simply cause mass hysteria and would make evacuation efforts more difficult. Civilian families were picked at random to escape, as if their names were pulled out from a hat.

Those few who survived the explosion died soon of radiation poisoning, thirst or hunger. A slow passing, filled with desperation and mistrust towards kin.

The organisation Akatsuki escaped before anyone could pinpoint their location or even place the blame. They disappeared as abruptly as they had emerged from the shadows. The biggest hostile organisation, armed with weapons and a hidden purpose, had vanished into thin air.

Video footage of Akatsuki troops planting the bombs were released about a year later, when each kingdom had settled in at their colonies. Scholars did notice that this was the first time an entire population switched planets. A grand historical event, they called it – sterile and emotionless. Science didn't seek to please the listeners, falling back to the comforts of objectivity to shield them from judgement.

The other planet, Eden they called it, and the pre-established colonies were probably the only thing that saved mankind from total annihilation.

Eden – a planet that was comfortable enough to inhabit. It took years to cover necessary areas with machinery to create the atmosphere suited for humans and even longer to rebuild entire cities. All this under the watchful eye of a lavender moon that shone bright.

The kingdom of Konoha had risen to be the leading fraction with the most powerful galactic fleet and the largest population. Only thanks to their scientists and soldiers was life mildly comfortable, despite the depressing truth that weighted on everyone's hearts. True enough – there was no famine, clean water wasn't hard to come by and trade blossomed between Kingdoms and colonies alike.

The constant reminder of the past were the defects infants from certain family lineages suffered. Despite the best efforts of medical personnel, it was impossible to save everyone from the effects of radiation. Even with all the genetic treatments in the world, it was impossible to undo the damage caused by the Akatsuki.

* * *

Chapter 1: Homecoming

* * *

"At the end of the day, it isn't where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I'm going and never have been before."

― **Warsan Shire**

* * *

 _Year 2188, March_

Years had passed since Naoko's last visit to Earth, if the planet could even be called that. She had only visited earth three times in total, once as a rookie, the other two times she was a teacher, and each visit was met with a constantly decreasing enthusiasm from her part.

There was nothing left of the place except for ruins and radiation. Pillars of glorious buildings that once were, famous battlegrounds and grand statues, old government halls - everything was still standing, but it didn't erase the knowledge that it was all an illusion. Radiation was an invisible, silent killer.

The water was polluted, the soil was infertile and the skies wept for the beauty that once adorned that planet. Naoko had only seen pictures of what Earth looked like before the Great Disaster of 2137, when the terrorist organisation Akatsuki deployed atomic bombs across the globe.

All the technological advancements of their age, yet no one had accomplished the small feat of travelling back in time. Perhaps the Great Disaster could even be prevented…

What an unoriginal name…Naoko had noticed with a growing distaste that historians had not worried about artistic value when naming the famed wars and events.

Such a boring name for one of the most intriguing, and tragic, events of the century. Carried out by the Akatsuki, nonetheless.

Akatsuki was leaded from the shadows, carrying out occasional terrorist attacks here and there. When or where was the organisation born, or even who belonged to it was a mystery. Sometime after the Disaster, the Akatsuki vanished as they always did. Konoha Intel assured the public that they were still restlessly looking for the Akatsuki and trying to unravel the truth about the situation, but the fact remained that the matter was ancient, any evidence that remained on earth was beyond reach and the members of the Akatsuki were probably dead by now. Not to mention that they had more pressing matters.

Dealing with the Akatsuki was something those above Naoko's station dealt with. Way-way higher in the secretive ranks of ANBU.

Naoko was deployed to earth because the branch of Konoha Intel that's responsible for monitoring earth had picked up shocking readings. They believed to have discovered a new bomb, either planter there during recent years or it had been there for years, remaining undetonated. The council, with the Hokage at the very front, wanted answers, 'Every news channel has been informed, so don't you dare come back empty handed!' said the Hokage herself.

Naoko didn't particularly care about the reasoning behind the mission. All she wanted was to cast her eyes on earth again out of some masochistic addiction. Despite the depressing desolation the important landmarks still remained and there was still greenery here and there. She wanted to breathe the air without a helmet constricting her, but unless she was ready to face radiation poisoning, it was an impossible dream.

Each time she headed there, Naoko felt a tingling anticipation. She was waiting for something, but for what?

The soldier was sitting on the window panel, her forehead resting against the cool window, eyes fixed on the third planet. Even from this distance it wasn't hard to discern exactly where the nuclear bombs had exploded. They were still about an hour or so from landing, plenty of time to get things in order.

The government promised that the atmosphere on the colonies is nearly identical to what is used to be on earth, but some of the oldest members would still grunt and call the man-made atmosphere toxic, that it doesn't even compare to what earth was.

What a fine planet it must've been, she found herself musing.

What a sterile word…fine. A planet completely desolated because of human greed? Fine.

She jumped when she felt someone grab her shoulder, interrupting her pondering.

"Scared of going back?" asked the masked man, dressed in a slightly wrinkled uniform. It was a strange contrast to Naoko, whose military uniform was spotless and freshly ironed, the Konoha military badge proudly shining on her chest.

She visible relaxed after recognising her fellow teammate, lowering her hands back to her lap with fists unclenched.

"Not really…Or, well I don't know really," she admitted, shaking her head at the jumble of words. It made absolutely no sense.

"I mean," she began her second attempt, turning her body towards Kakashi, "I wasn't born here, I didn't survive the Disaster. All that I've seen are archive pictures and the small glimpses we've caught during our visits, so there's no real attachment involved. It's just a very sad planet that fell victim to the human ego."

Kakashi sighed, ruffling the scientist's hair and sitting himself down opposite of her, "Human ego is a mild way to put it. The Akatsuki merely wanted terror, escaping the full effects of the blast themselves. What was the point if they didn't stay to enjoy the show?"

What was the point indeed? There had to be more to it than just a mere sadistic plot to wreak havoc and destruction. Unless the leader just went insane and decided "You know what would be _hilarious_?"

"They only had that chance because while the five kingdoms were engaged in petty skirmishes, the Akatsuki had time to assemble resources and become stronger than they had ever been."

Naoko felt how her whole body flared up at the chance of possible debate. She had spent years analysing past events, trying to make sense of what happened. There were too many contradictions to just blindly swallow what the government told the general public.

Why would the Akatsuki make the planet completely inhabitable? None of it had ever made any sense to her. People called her a conspiracy theorist, but she didn't budge. The attack was too random, without motive, it was completely different from how they usually operated. She had published several papers on the subject online, causing her to earn the reputation as the Akatsuki fanatic.

"Shouldn't you be reading a book about defusing bombs, lady scientist?" teased the superior, easily shifting the subject.

Naoko rolled her eyes, "You put too little faith in me. We'll see how it goes, but I thought maybe letting one of our recruits have a shot. Sasuke perhaps, he seems level-headed enough."

It was clear that the mention of the recruit's name made him feel uncomfortable about something and Naoko was quick to catch the change in demeanour, despite Kakashi's habit of masking his thoughts. They had been on too many assignments together to remain strangers, "What is it that you're not telling me?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering, "I was looking through the team's personal histories, since you never bother to do it. Mostly there's nothing worth mentioning, but there is something that the remaining Uchiha have been trying hard to cover up."

Naoko snorted, "What? Does he have an _incredibly_ ugly brother that they hide away in the basement? There's a _reason_ why I don't snoop info about them, I don't want to have any prejudice against them. It's not laziness."

Kakashi sighed, "I think you will want to read Sasuke's personal file. He has a brother, Itachi, who joined the Akatsuki a few years back when he was thirteen and Sasuke barely a child."

The silence that ensued was tense. Naoko could feel that her mouth was hanging open, but the muscles in her jaw had decided not to operate anymore. It took her longer than she dared to admit to form a coherent response. She had expected any other piece of information, except for this.

"But…they have been completely inactive, _gone_ from the face of earth! Just… _How_ did a teenage boy muster up the resources to find them when five governments haven't been able to do it?" she sputtered, eyes blinking rapidly in excitement. Kakashi's confession had ignited a flame inside her.

Kakashi shrugged, supressing the grin that was threatening to slip on his face, "No idea, I'm trying to look into it, but Fugaku still holds some power. Probably covering it up to ensure a future for Sasuke."

That drew a snort from Naoko, "That explains why Fugaku went absolutely bonkers. This is probably the only sane thing he has ever done, selfish, but still sane. Actually…When we head back I'll have to dig up several years' worth of newspapers…" Her voice trailed off and the woman's eyes glassed over for a moment, but the cloudiness disappeared abruptly when she sprung back into action.

Naoko pushed herself up from the windowsill, the metal hadn't warmed under her. The soldier's departure would've been swift hadn't Kakashi grabbed her wrist, "Naoko," he warned her with a knowing smile, "you will not go hound Sasuke with your questions. I'll mail you his file later." He said amicably, already anticipating Naoko's plans.

"I don't want it," she replied sternly, referring to the file. Naoko firmly believed that their personal history shouldn't cloud her judgement when it came time to assign the rookies, hence her apprehension of looking through their personal histories.

"Then don't open it, I'll mail it to you anyway. A test of your willpower, so to say." Kakashi pretended to be nonchalant about the situation, but she could see that he was smiling through the mask.

"Yeah-yeah, want to make a bet or something?" she retorted cheekily, hands resting on her hips.

When he didn't reply she grabbed his wrist to look at the man's watch, "Shall we go?" she suggested. He didn't even flinch away from her hold, the motion was so natural. Naoko didn't carry a watch herself as she had the habit of losing them.

Kakashi sighed and plopped his legs up on the ledge, "I think you can handle them just fine. Just brief them on the situation and try to educate them, you know, the usual." He said finally, shuffling on the cold surface in a more comfortable position.

Naoko tried to smack him, but the soldier's reflexes were too quick and he deflected her blow easily. "You are so _busy_ reading those perverted books that you refuse to take this seriously! This is an actual responsibility on our shoulders." she snapped at the man, fuming.

Truthfully, Kakashi was responsible at times. He pretended not to care in the eye of the public, but there were moments when he shared his true brilliance, something Naoko could never master. She had proven to be too strict for that.

Kakashi patted her on the shoulder in a compassionate manner, "I want to finish it before we reach earth. Wouldn't want to blow us up just because I'm distracted, left wondering how this book ends."

One excuse after another. Naoko rolled her eyes, already used to his antics.

As if on cue he pulled out a copy of said paperback and tuned out Naoko's various vocal protests at his actions.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, guess who I am!" shouted the blonde and jumped up onto the kitchen counter. He mustered an exaggerated frown and pouted, "The Akatsuki is an organisation with a profound cultural significance, and they must harbour some _profound_ meaning."

The pink haired girl groaned and got up, grabbing her yoghurt before Naruto could knock it on the floor.

"Get off the counter before you get caught! Instructor Shimotsuki should be here soon!" she hissed at Naruto, obviously not amused by the gimmick and glanced around quickly as if the redhead in question would suddenly materialise behind her.

Suddenly the door was slammed open and in stepped Naoko, her hands placed on her hips, red hair whipped around her face. "Recruit Uzumaki, I am surprised that you can pronounce such complicated words without stuttering." She proclaimed with a large grin plastered on her face, announcing her presence to everyone in the room.

Sakura seemed more embarrassed than Naruto himself who crossed his arms, "Are you calling me stupid, Shimotsuki?" he demanded, the challenge clear in his tone and body language.

Naoko's eyes involuntarily darted to Sasuke sitting behind a table farther away. Despite acting bored, she could tell that he was listening the exchange, most likely holding back the urge to roll his eyes. Somehow this team had a lot of animosity - Sakura seemingly disliked Naruto while Sasuke disliked everything.

She turned back to Naruto and sighed tiredly, "Uzumaki, don't make me assign you to cleaning duty _again_. Get off the counter with your dirty soles, wipe it and all is forgiven. It was spotless the last time I cleaned it."

The pair engaged in a staring competition before Naruto decided that giving the counter a quick wipe was more appealing than scrubbing the floor for the entire trip back to Eden.

Naoko grabbed the lunch she had made earlier from the fridge and sat down behind the counter across from Naruto.

Sakura had used the commotion as a chance to slip away and sit closer to Sasuke, but her ideal of a private lunch with Sasuke was ruined when Naoko waved them over. The trio sat across her and she studied them carefully. Which one of them would drop out? Which branch will the remaining choose?

"Alright, since Kakashi is reading his porn somewhere, I'll give you an overview of today's task.

Supposedly there is a bomb still on earth. We don't know if it was planted during the Disaster or later or if it even is a bomb, could be nothing, either way we have to defuse it. No need to cause any more damage to our precious earth. Now, my question to you. What makes this mission possibly dangerous? Besides the obvious radiation risk and so on."

Naruto was the first to speak up, "Will we be defusing it?" he asked eagerly, always the first to leap into action.

"If you can answer the question, then I'll _think_ about letting you defuse it," promised Naoko with an amused glint in her eyes. The new recruits were her favourites, completely innocent and so willing to put themselves to good use to impress their superiors.

She chewed on her steamed rice while her little minions pondered on something that seemed so obvious to the young soldier. Naoko was fairly sure that Sasuke knew the answer - _his passiveness will be his downfall in Intel_.

Thoughts of Sasuke made the earlier conversation with Kakashi emerge from her memory. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if that's why the young Uchiha chose to enlist in the military, to track down his brother?

After another fifteen seconds Sakura brightened up, "The age of the bomb."

A pleased smile crossed Naoko's face and the girl was visibly proud. It took Sakura a bit longer than she would've liked, but they were all still newbies. Sakura was _extremely_ bright, but she seemed to hold herself back for Sasuke. Always aiming to impress _him_ instead of using her full potential.

Naruto on the other hand, while lacking smarts, made it up with dedication and practice. Naoko found him extremely talented, but the blonde just needed the right push and the right teacher for his true potential to manifest.

"Ten points to the pink haired donna, if you can elaborate _why_. A bomb, when mishandled, will still explode despite its age."

This time Sasuke cut in without hesitating, his mature tone cutting the air like daggers, "The Disaster era bombs, while simply built, are most likely damaged by now, making them more unpredictable and unstable."

Sakura didn't even seem mad that he stole her chance of practice, another mistake. Instead the green eyes were filled with daydreams. They were just rookies and Naoko had no plans of dying young so there was no guarantee that the three would even get to touch the bomb before it was defused.

Sasuke's dark eyes were fixed at Naoko's plain brown ones and she knew that he was wondering.

Sasuke was wondering about how much she knew, meaning that Kakashi might have confronted him some way about his brother, blatantly ignoring his own advice, or Sasuke figured it all out on his own. He was an exceptionally bright child, so Naoko wouldn't put it past him, but the boy's social skill were lacking at best of days. If Sasuke could prove that he is best at what he does, then Intel wouldn't give two shits about his personality…most of the time.

Konoha military had three main branches: Intelligence, Military and Medical. Kakashi and Naoko were both hovering somewhere between Intel and Military. It happened often that people were in two branches. Naoko saw it as an opportunity to get out of the labs and actually do some field work.

"Uzumaki, what date is it?" Naoko asked suddenly.

Naruto shrugged, but Sakura checked her watch dutifully, "Nineteenth of March." She said.

Naoko snorted, "Well isn't it ironic…" she mused.

Just one day until the anniversary of the Disaster.

This was no time for idle dreaming. Whatever melancholy or worry shadowed the instructor's face was gone by now.

"Alright, recruits, suit up. Lecture is over, I hope you are ready. We'll be landing on home sweet home soon!" Naoko declared.

The trio were so young they had never even been on earth. Naruto and Sakura were visibly excited, while Sasuke was…most likely very good at hiding it. Now all she had to do was to make sure that all three would come back without any radiation damage.

* * *

 **Well hello again! I haven't updated anything for a** _ **very**_ **long time. I just started university and it has been super hectic and busy for me and during the summer I was mostly working. I am still updating Bite me!...it seems reviewing the chapters might take me longer than it took to actually write the thing! UPDATE: Or not, I've managed to work through 10 chapters in 3 days. I'm hoping to finish the reviewing by the end of next week and then I can truly focus on this.**

 **I was just looking through my folders and I stumbled upon a half-written first chapter. At first I couldn't even remember the original idea behind this, but as I continued to write I found myself liking the idea of a dystopian future Narutoverse.**

 **Lilyholics**


	2. Teamwork

Chapter 2: Teamwork

* * *

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

― **Napoléon Bonaparte**

* * *

 _Midnight, March 20th_

Kakashi and Naoko fell back while their three pupils stumbled out on the soil of Earth for the very first time. The sun had already set so they couldn't see Konoha's lands in all its glorious green desolation, accompanied by a romantic sunset, but they got to see something much better. Everything was eerily still in the black forest all around them, but that calm wasn't as morbid as it seemed at first glance for the evening revealed a silvery moon above them.

Naruto was the first that had the idea to look up and in his surprise exclaimed, "The white moon!" His gloved hand was pointing at the illuminating orb hanging in a sea of stars. Nothing could compare to the beauty of the galaxy, not even all the gems of the world.

The moon on Eden was a strange hue of light purple; it looked like a giant bubble-gum that threatened to crash into the planet. Anyone born after the Disaster knew nothing but the purple moon, only the last Disaster survivors were left to complain about it.

Naoko didn't really mind their complaints as she realised long ago that they weren't being spiteful for the fun of it, but they missed home. Eden was foreign to them and it wasn't the place where they grew up, even the sky was unfamiliar to them with none of the known constellations above their heads.

One good thing about inhabiting another planet – all of the light pollution on Earth that veiled the stars was gone. Once again the sky was lit up by millions of stars instead of light emitted by the five kingdoms.

They were situated away from the major cities. Their task set them near Konoha's borders, but Kakashi had suggested taking the recruits to the capital later. 'Might as well educate them a bit while we're here', was his reasoning. Show them a bit of the most famous landmarks and perhaps give them a short history lecture, though Naoko suspected that the soldier was just postponing their return to Eden.

She removed her eyes from the trio and turned to Kakashi instead with a bout of nostalgia flaring up in her chest.

"Remember when we were like that?" asked Naoko, grinning at her students. Even Sasuke, whose face had the emotional range of a fork, displayed some outward signs of curiosity. They touched everything, the tree trunks, leaves and even the soil, wishing to take samples and pictures of everything. They acted like tourists, not soldiers, but their two superiors made no move to put a stop to the display.

On moments like this Naoko truly felt the urge to screw all safety precautions and remove her anti-radiation gear, to really feel what the air here smells like. The older folks always complained about the man-made air of Eden, but what _did_ real air smell like? Naoko made a note to come back to Earth when she was nearing death and spend her final days in the original Konohagakure, with no protective gear to dull her sensations. Her pondering was interrupted when Kakashi turned his face away from her.

"Perhaps you were like that, I was quite stoic."

Naoko stepped in front of Kakashi, hands on her hips with a large grin when realisation dawned upon her, "You feel a sense of kinship with the Uchiha…are you hoping that he will also outgrow this?" She questioned cheekily, "I was wondering why you took such interest in his personal life."

The smile died on her lips when she caught sight of Kakashi's expression. This was the first time in their two years of working together that she had seen him truly display something that could be only described as sadness. He was staring something else up in the sky and it seemed like his mind was somewhere far-far away.

"Kakashi?" she asked carefully, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder, but she recoiled at the very last moment.

"Do you think we'll ever live on this planet again?" questioned the soldier, eyes still fixated on something Naoko couldn't see.

Part of her wanted to hug the man, but the suits made movement awkward enough and the students were still present. This wasn't the time to deal with personal matters and Naoko prayed that her fellow instructor would be professional enough to put those feelings aside for now.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" she assured him and instead of a hug provided him with an awkward pat on the shoulder. Naoko wasn't entirely sure how to deal with him in this situation, so she did what any reasonable adult did – elected to ignore the situation for as long as possible.

Kakashi was already quite tight lipped when it came to personal matters, no point in pushing it _here_ of all places, but Naoko wasn't going to let this slide. She will pry and find out what is bothering this man who is always so carefree.

She shook off the worries and conjured a big smile to display to the students, before waving them over.

"Congratulations, it seems like none of you managed to break their protective suits." She announced to them when they had finally managed to stumble to her, unused to the weight and feel of the anti-radiation suits.

"Now, you all brought your radars I hope?" she continued, "The location of our target is displayed there, your first task is to find it and I repeat do _not_ get killed. Just because this is a wasteland doesn't mean that there are no dangers lurking here." Her warning rung clear in the trio's ears and they were twitching with eagerness to act.

Naoko looked over to Kakashi and he voiced his own instructions, completely unfazed by his earlier display. "Be mindful about how far into the forest you're going. We're close to Kirigakure's borders, under no circumstances are you allowed to cross them."

"Do they really still keep watch?" asked Sakura doubtfully, glancing around her, supressing a shudder. She was clearly excited about visiting Earth, but feeling extremely uncomfortable, surrounded by the black woods that looked anything but welcoming. The silence often drove people mad…in reality Earth was anything but the picture perfect wonderland that the old photos displayed.

The redhead took a sharp step forward, alerted by Sakura's doubts, "They do! I don't care if that bomb is two inches over their border, you do not touch it nor move it if even a speck of it is on Kirigakure's territory. I doubt any of you wish to be responsible for starting a war." She warned, her tone harsh and strict. That got the rookies on edge, as Naoko wasn't usually this resolute.

It was common knowledge that the current Mizukage was touchy about territorial integrity, to put it lightly. Naoko didn't even want to think about the commotion it would cause if three rookies crossed the borders of Kirigakure. Well, firstly she would have to deal with the Hokage…And if there was anything left of her she would gladly assign the trio ten years of community service. That might be enough for them to realise the errors of their ways.

"Are we clear?" she asked them, her tone much gentler.

The trio nodded and turned around, fumbling with their holo-maps before each set off on their own.

Kakashi and Naoko stood there for a few minutes in silence, watching the rookies being swallowed up by the darkness of the woods. Kakashi got out his own holo-map that displayed three dots representing their pupils. He observed their movements while Naoko climbed up a tree for the lack of anything better to do. The next time Kakashi spared a glance he found Naoko hanging upside down, her expression betraying boredom. The soldier made no comments about her peculiar location and presented his evaluation instead.

"They are not even making an effort to work together. They have the same destination, but instead they try to compete." He sounded disappointed already, and the rookies had only left scant five minutes ago.

Naoko shrugged, very strange motion to carry out while upside down, and made a strange twist in the air in an attempt to land on her feat instead of her head. The woman grunted as her feet hit the ground clumsily and straightened up. "Because teamwork is something they expect _us_ to drill into their skulls. The academy merely pitches them against each other." She remarked snidely.

Kakashi chuckled, but it was cut short when his ears caught the sound of an engine. This was not one of Konoha's shuttles, they both realised and the years of military training kicked in. A sense of dread was threatening to fill Naoko to the brim and her head whipped first to the dark void ahead of her and back to Kakashi's holo-map.

Had they crossed the border? Had those three _stupid_ rookies stumbled upon the bloody border? Was that small taste of responsibility really too much to handle? But her anger and judgement had to be put on hold for the time being. A shooting match with Kirigakure was something to avoid at all cost and took priority.

Instead they got an incoming radio signal from the ship. "Leaf seven, do you copy?"

Naoko was first to respond to the message. "This is leaf seven here, over." She replied quickly, holding her breath in anticipation as she was waiting for a response.

"There's an unidentified vessel heading your way, get those rookies away from the border in case it is a Kirigakure patrol, over."

The small nuance of words didn't escape Kakashi who broke into a run with Naoko trailing close behind him, trying to dodge all of the mutated tree roots sticking out of the ground in odd angles. They could hear it more clearly now, it landed not far from their own location and the duo picked up the pace.

"In case? You mean to say that you don't know?" Naoko was fighting the urge to scream into the receiver and held back the urge to shout profanities at the wind. Unidentified was even worse than Kirigakure. The latter could be, to some extent, reasoned with.

"It's probably nothing, just go make sure the brats don't overstep the boundaries, over." Their operator's assurance did little to qualm Naoko's fears. Kakashi on the other hand was the face of focus. He was entirely focused on the task ahead and nothing else mattered.

Naoko swallowed the urge to groan audibly, "We are part of the Intelligence branch! It's our _job_ to know those things!" she snapped, clearly irritated by this gap of information.

"Shows you the extent of our influence." Kakashi threw back the response dryly, no doubt as pissed off as Naoko was.

It was Naruto's shouting that helped the tutors position them with relative ease. For a brief moment Naoko was overwhelmed with panic, until she realised that the yelling was directed at Sasuke and not a desperate cry for help.

The pair burst through the trees to find the two teenagers arguing over the ancient rustic bomb, right there in the middle of the field with Sakura standing away from the two at a safe distance. In any other situation Naoko would've chucked a slipper at the boys before smacking both of them over the head.

An entire clearing to argue, but they have to do it directly above the bomb! That's _exactly_ why children should be kept far away from the military, until they are ready. The boys broke off their argument with some regret, choosing to ignore each other instead.

Silence ensued when the team heard the sound of an approaching ground squad. Judging by the sound, they were still far. They had just a small window to hatch a plan.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and with one smooth movement he got out a loaded pistol, "Sasuke, Naruto, get away from the explosive right now." His voice was enough to chill the air. When the teenagers caught sight of the brandished gun all cries of disobedience died in their throats. They rushed back and took a protective stance in front of Sakura, shielding her from whatever was coming through those woods. Naruto tried to reassure her that this was probably just a training exercise developed by the military to test them.

This day just kept getting worse and worse, thought Naoko desperately, this was supposed to be a routine visit with the rookies!

Naoko edged next to Kakashi, loading her own pistol, "Kakashi, we're not on Kirigakure's territory, it's a quarter a mile away from us," she whispered, "They wouldn't outright fly onto our territory as well." This wasn't the time to panic and Naoko had finally gained control over her emotions. Two years of active duty had taught the redhead that panic and fear were a soldier's worst enemy – it would only lead to ill made decisions and ultimately failure.

"A group of four, maybe five," noted Kakashi, "Most likely armed…It can't be our own forces. We were the only team sent here." His voice was monotonous, almost melodic enough to put some ease to Naoko's heart that pounded in her chest.

The woman bit her lip and cast a look over her shoulder, "Kakashi, we can't protect them if this turns into a real fight." And if she knew anything about Naruto, then he would try to help in any way possible. Naoko wasn't about to have them die under her command as children. They had no place in a real battle.

He nodded grimly, "Agreed, send them back _now_. Izumo will pick them up ASAP."

Kakashi contacted Izumo over the radio, providing him with the coordinates while forwarding them to the holo-maps of the students. Naoko ran over to the trio, "Alright, Kakashi just forwarded your next destination. Get there as quickly as you can, and _work together_. Izumo will be there to meet you."

Naruto was the first to protest, "No way! I am not running away from a fight." The exclamation earned him a glare from Sasuke and Naoko alike.

Sakura was absolutely terrified, and the prospect of getting as far away from this sight was beyond appealing. Never before had the pink haired girl seen their instructors in such a state. Naoko took notice that Sasuke had his fingers clenched around a knife. He was alarmed, that much was clear, but managed to keep his cool and was the only one that had the wits to bring a weapon.

She sighed and turned back to Naruto, "Recruit Uzumaki, you will work together with your teammates and get the _hell_ out of here. This team approaching is real, and the more time you waste here the slimmer your chances of survival get. Now _move_! I trust you."

Three very simple words, uttered gently as a sibling might, but they were enough to change Naruto's resolve and shift it to something more profitable.

He grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her along with him, making sure that Sasuke was keeping up. Not that there was any need, the Uchiha was a force of his own. Naoko watched them disappear, feeling as if a rock was lifted from her heart. They would be long gone before the ground team could break to the measly defence that Kakashi and Naoko could provide.

Kakashi fell back to her side, his gun raised in anticipation.

"Well, there's one good thing about this situation." His voice had returned to his usual lightness, even managing to sound amused.

Naoko couldn't help but to laugh, "Teamwork?" She offered helpfully.

"There's no cover on this field, climb," Kakashi ordered sharply, putting an end to their waste of time. Naoko obeyed without second thought, trying to get under the cover of the leaves with the radiation suit – it was made from a stiff material and it was incredibly bulky.

In simpler terms - the worst garment a soldier could wear during a gunfight.

Any idiot who bothered to look up could see her clinging to the branch like an oversized panda. Hopefully the darkness would be enough to cover the both of them from unfriendly eyes.

She heard Kakashi make an ascent to a neighbouring tree. The ruckus they made must've been heard from miles away. If the, the word felt sour at the tip of Naoko's tongue, enemy was unaware of their presence before, then they had that luxury no more.

Naoko forced her breathing to calm down and she kept her pistol aimed, keeping her finger away from the trigger. If this was a team from the five kingdoms, then their clothes would carry a crest. She was uttering a silent prayer to the cosmos, hoping that it would be a group of friendlies entering the field.

No such prayers were answered. It would be settled with bullets again. Her heart was close to leaping out of her chest by the time the team entered their field of sight.

Kakashi wasn't wrong about their numbers. Four men entered the clearing, clad in black with machine guns clutched in their hands. Only one of them was carrying a briefcase. They wore no identification and in the dark with only the moonlight to offer illumination, it was near impossible to see them.

Take the shot, or not?

If she missed, then it would be certain death. Hopefully Izumo got the rookies away from this…

She had not time to analyse the explosive, would it even work anymore? The variable of the situation were like a flurry of jumbled thoughts in her head.

Naoko released the breath she was holding and steadied her hand. The man with the briefcase headed straight to the bomb while the other three formed a protective circle around him. Panic filled her when she realised what the group was trying to do.

 _I should've taken the shot. I miscalculated._

It wasn't her life that she was afraid for, it was a war. If they died here, who could truly prove that this wasn't Konoha trying to provoke Kirigakure? The situation could easily be misinterpreted – that the team was sent on Earth to deliver the explosive to Kirigakure territory. Just who would believe the word of three rookies and a shuttle pilot? Would Tsunade's assurances be enough to qualm doubts?

She aimed to take out the human shield closest to her. This would be enough to provide Kakashi with a clear trajectory, but…There was a chance of shooting the bomb by accident. It was so darn dark as well and skills were not of use anymore. It was luck she needed instead, luck for her aim to remain true.

There was no time to hesitate. Eden's future was resting on her shoulders. Naoko held back a laugh, so melodramatic, but it helped her focus.

The redhead was fairly certain that the loudness of firearms is something she will never grow accustomed to. The bullet hit its target right in the chest, a lucky shot indeed, considering the fact that she was aiming for the man's head. No matter, he fell to the ground, dead.

The situation was resolved only in a matter of seconds, but it felt like an eternity for Naoko. She took another shot, taking out the second bodyguard and Kakashi took the daring shot, aiming to take out the planter, but the silver haired man was a mere heartbeat too late.

Naoko didn't remember hearing the explosion itself. It was sort of drowned out by everything else surrounding them. Or maybe she did, and just confused it with another gunshot?

She didn't see Kakashi anywhere, eyes frantically darting around, but that was perhaps because she was still hanging in the air, thrown back by the force of the explosion.

When she felt a large batch of splinters tear through her skin Naoko only thought about their hiding place. What a shitty choice, a stupid, primitive, miscalculation. She made a mental note to yell on Kakashi about it later. Maybe she could even blackmail a beer from him. Both of them knew better than to hide above, in a _tree_ of all places.

Kakashi was one of the best shooters she had ever met, there was no doubt that the anonymous man just managed to detonate the bomb a moment before his death. Kakashi had at least taken away the terrorist's moment to bask in his handiwork.

This wasn't a suicide bombing.

She had to remember this detail, it rang in her mind over and over again – this wasn't a suicide bombing.

The kids got away, right?

* * *

 **A bit short, but I promise the next one will be longer!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this one :)**

 **Lilyholics**


	3. Girls in white dresses

3\. Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

* * *

"It is an occupational hazard that anyone who has spent her life learning how to lie eventually becomes bad at telling the truth."

― **Ally Carter** , **Heist Society**

* * *

 _March 25, 2188, about 14.00_

Her mind was addled from the drugs, but Naoko had enough willpower to figure out where she was. The rhythmic beeping, scent of a disinfectant and the numb throbbing in her chest were hints enough to realise that she was in a hospital.

Several questions surged as soon as she was able to form coherent thoughts. She started with the basics like her name and age and the last memories before she lost consciousness.

Shimotsuki Naoko, age twenty, last known memory was…

That's when it all came back to her – the explosion, falling, the rookies escaping on a carrier.

What had happened? What _day_ was it?

Sensation was returning to her limbs and Naoko tried to sit up, forcing her eyes to open.

The bright hospital light momentarily blinded her and she bit back a cry of pain that was crawling up her throat.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, especially after what your body went through."

She knew that voice, and suddenly Naoko wanted to pass out again. She wasn't quite prepared to face Tsunade just yet.

Out of a sense of duty she forced her eyes open, seeing the busty Hokage standing outside a thick glass wall with a clipboard in her hands. Well…at least there was some form of protecting a barrier between them.

A cough rattled her lungs, causing the woman to lurch forward, clutching her chest.

"Tsunade-sama," she finally managed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "is everyone alive?"

"From your team?" she asked with a smirk, "Don't worry. The rookies are fine, temporarily assigned under Guy's guidance. They've been pestering me about your condition daily. Kakashi is recovering right next door. He woke up just yesterday."

Naoko sighed, feeling much more at ease, "That's good."

"I believe you have several questions, but as your physician I will start with matters concerning your health. There was some contact with radiation, as your protective suit was torn. Had Izumo not thrown you both into the ship's decontamination chamber only minutes after the blast you probably would be dead by now."

Her brown eyes took a quick glance around, noticing the decontamination apparatus in every corner of the room. Anti-radiation machines - capable of combating small doses of radiation, developed by the Earth kingdom after arriving Eden. Their population had suffered the largest doses of radiation and the machines were developed to stabilise the population.

Naoko managed a smile, "I'll make sure to give him my regards."

Tsunade clicked her tongue, "Well, that is the only thing he was able to do. That's what you get for not having a medic on board. You suffered several minor cuts, mainly caused by shrapnel. We had to restore your lung tissue with laser treatment as you had several splinters lodged into your chest. Make sure you keep taking your rejection suppressants for a month at least."

Oh great, lung problems, and a handful of pills to keep that at bay.

"How bad is it?"

Tsunade smiled sympathetically, "No strenuous exercise for two weeks at the very least. Try to keep your heart rate down, no running or stairs. Move around as little as possible and focus on deep breaths. If we're lucky, there should be no permanent damage from this and your body will accept the artificial tissue."

She nodded, absorbing the information with equanimity.

"How long until I can leave decontamination and see Kakashi? There are several matters I need to discuss with him."

"I want to keep you two here for a few more days. After that you can continue recovery at home."

Naoko braced herself, asking the question that was looming over her head, "Can we skip this and move onto business. What exactly happened? Has Kirigakure reacted in any way?"

It was amazing to observe how quickly Tsunade managed to switch between her roles as a doctor and as the Hokage. The woman's entire demeanour changed.

"You've been out for five days. I haven't released an official statement yet. Thanks to you being out I've been able to stall under the pretext that I've been busy keeping you two alive."

Naoko offered an insightful smile, "I daresay that wasn't a lie."

The Hokage rolled her eyes, "Well now that both of you are getting out after two days, I'm finding it hard to keep Kirigakure's diplomat away from you. He's been extremely indefatigable in his attempts to meet you. How your meeting goes with him will probably determine Kirigakure's stance."

"Of course he is," sighed Naoko wearily, "What happened was a fiasco…Took place on the anniversary none the less."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, her anger apparent, "It was a complete and utter debacle! I saw the videos from your head cameras. You should've gunned them down the moment they were in range; instead you let them get to the bomb and from there on it was too precarious to take the shot. You're lucky Kirigakure hasn't declared open war on us!"

The historian's gaze dropped to her lap, accepting the critique in solemn silence. This was her failure and Tsunade had every right to be angry.

"By waiting you jeopardised years of peace and your own life, considering the fact that you're chained to a hospital bed in decontamination."

Naoko's eyes shot up, suddenly remembering something.

"Tsunade-sama, this wasn't a suicide bombing."

The woman halted, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, "What are you suggesting, Shimotsuki?"

"Currently, nothing solid, but those men were wearing protective suits. A suicide bomb squad wouldn't have bothered as the suits limit your mobility. I want access to my laptop and the videos from our head cameras, but you and I both know that there is only one group in the galaxy who would carry out an attack like this."

The Hokage seemed to weigh her words, "Shimotsuki, you know how this is going to sound in public."

"Of course," she deadpanned, "the public will cringe, but if it's the truth then it is our job to make them see!"

"Proof," responded Tsunade tersely, "prove it and I'll allow you to go public with that story. Otherwise you'll just be brushed off as a conspiracy theorist."

Naoko leaned back, her lungs were aching from all this talking and she tried to follow Tsunade's advice, taking deep breaths.

"Well what is your official story, then?" she demanded, arms crossed on her chest.

The Hokage's brow was furrowed, "The _truth_ , that we do not _know_ who attacked. All we caught on video were five men in the dark, detonating a bomb."

"You…You think this was group from the five kingdoms?"

Tsunade seemed to grow irritated, "We don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out."

The soldier shared the Hokage's determination, "Can you get my computer delivered here? I need to start working. The three of us can discuss the matter and form a public statement."

The woman laughed, "I think your rookies will be more than glad to do this little errand for you. I'll forward your contact information to the diplomat later; he'll want to meet you personally."

Naoko paused, "Anything I should know about him?"

Tsunade was twirling her pen before stuffing it into the pocket of her lab coat, smirking, "Only that he is an excellent example of the effects of radiation, try not to stare at him too blatantly."

"How is Kakashi?" she asked attentively.

Tsunade sighed, "Physically he's fine, but as always he is blaming himself for what went amiss, not that he'd actually admit it."

Naoko held back the urge to sigh. There was nothing she could do to help him until Tsunade would discharge her.

"Tell him I said hi, alright?"

The Hokage smiled, "Will do…Get some rest, you'll heal faster this way. I'll have your laptop delivered by the time you wake up."

"Tsunade," called out the girl before her physician disappeared, "Please make sure Kakashi's is delivered as well."

"Will do," she replied brusquely, sauntering out of the room.

Naoko got only a moment's peace before another series of coughs caused her body to lurch forward. She spotted a carafe of water by the bedside and gladly poured herself a cup, devouring the liquid with much gusto.

On second thought Tsunade had a point…

They had no basis to pin this on the Akatsuki, nothing substantial, but Naoko refused to believe that it was an inside job. Not after more than fifty years of peace.

True enough, Kirigakure was still laconic when it came to public relations and incredibly private about their affairs, but other than that the nations had been getting along just fine.

She groaned, hiding her face in her hands at the prospect of meeting with this diplomat. What was she going to tell him? To chill out because this all took place on Konoha territory and technically Kirigakure had no right to be sour about it?

The woman rolled to her side, staring at the white wall. The decontamination apparatus was humming quietly, accompanied by the heart monitor beeping away. She couldn't wait for those two days to pass so she could get out of the hospital.

Outpatient recovery was better than this.

Before she knew it, Naoko was snoring away peacefully, the fresh dose of pain medication kicking in and making her drowsy enough to drift off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Hoshigaki Kisame was an intimidating man. His blue skin and shark-like features intimidated people, not to mention that he towered over most people, were all caused by the dose of radiation his parents were exposed to.

His appearance and forcefulness were exactly why Kirigakure had appointed him to work at Konoha's branch. Truthfully, even the appointment had been thanks to his own initiative.

The Hokage had been avoiding him for days, claiming to be busy treating two of her soldiers, the same ones who had been at the core of the blast. A lie with some truth to stain it here and there.

Kisame had read through both of their service records, since the Hokage remained tight-lipped with him, probably stalling just to talk a story straight with the pair. She couldn't let them speak to him until it wasn't certain that they wouldn't contradict one another.

Now Hatake has been in active duty for nearly five years longer than the girl, Shimotsuki, and gone through a great number of atrocities. One teammate crushed in rubble, the other one killed in active duty by his own hands…quite enough to mess a man up for life.

It was the obvious choice to go to the girl instead – innocent, gullible, not as guarded and much more eager to please. Hatake would be careful, but the girl might make a mistake or two and give something away.

Situations like that were the precise reason the Mizukage had appointed him. If he was barred out, he found a way.

That's how Kisame came to spend his afternoon at a hospital, stalking the hallways with startling precision with a small bouquet of flowers in his grip. His identification allowed him access to almost every place.

Not that the beautiful ladies at reception had the guts to say no to him – a diplomat's badge along with his looks were enough to give him the girl's room number.

If Tsunade was going to bar him from the necessary people, then he just had to approach the source.

His eyes caught the right number and he knocked, manners first after all, before entering the room.

The girl was wide awake and furiously typing away on a computer, her eyes glued to the screen. Even the sound of the door wasn't enough to break her gaze. He took in her appearance first of all – red hair, symmetrical face, no visible scarring. All in all – one of the lucky ones.

"I already told you, no more painkillers, please. I need to stay focused not nap my time away."

Kisame added dutiful to his list of adjectives that already applied to the girl. To the naked eye she looked fine, but if she was stuck in the ICU _and_ in decontamination then perhaps the Hokage wasn't entirely deceptive about her moves during last week. At least he was correct about that.

"I believe that you may be mistaking me for a nurse, terribly sorry for disturbing you," said Kisame, his voice sweet like honey.

Naoko's fingers halted and she lifted her gaze, eyes widening as she recognised the diplomat, or perhaps she was scared of his appearance.

"Hoshigaki, sir, I…Well I wasn't expecting a visit."

It took her only a second to regain her composure and slap on a politician's empathic smile. She closed her laptop and pushed the table away, leaving the glass to be the only barrier between the two.

"I am certain of it," said Kisame, flashing his pointed teeth, "but I was extremely concerned, especially after the Hokage herself felt the need to personally see to your treatments. Any permanent damage?"

"Bits of my lung were reconstructed and some radiation, but I believe you figured out the latter yourself."

Kisame noticed that she had become very reserved, carefully monitoring her body language. Was it due to strictness of the military or was there something to hide?

The smile never faded from his face, "You're quite lucky to be alive…I see Tsunade had her work cut out for her. I brought some flowers; take them as an act of good will."

In a sense they were like statues, frozen in time with the same faces for the duration of the conversation. What amazed him was her ability to seemingly ignore his appearance. She had managed to keep eye contact between the two, without openly staring at his teeth or outright gawking.

Naoko even managed a genuine smile when her eyes caught sight of the flowers. Man, this girl had chosen the wrong profession.

"They're beautiful, thank you."

Young and inexperienced she may be, but the girl had tact. Kisame placed them on a nearby table, not finding a vase nearby, "I'd give them to you personally, but I believe the glass wall is an excuse enough."

"I appreciate that you took the time to personally come see me, but surely you didn't come here personally just to bring me flowers?"

Ah, cutting the chase. Straightforward was added to the list of adjectives.

"What a clever mind you have...Tsunade has been doing her best to keep me away from you, but I am in fact here to invite you to a gathering of mine. I felt it would be fair to deliver this invitation personally before you leave the hospital as it takes place only three days after your discharge."

This was the first time during the conversation when her mask seemed to slip, "A gathering?"

Oh he was going to love the following moments, "Yes, Kirigakure is celebrating their 453rd anniversary, and in my kingdom's honour a ball is being held at the embassy. I'd like you to accompany me there."

Naoko was cornered. How could she refuse his request? Not with the political tension up in the air, outright refusing him would cause a scandal Konoha could not afford.

Personally, he didn't give a damn about the explosion. When Kisame first got the news his first question was 'So what? It wasn't even on our territory!'.

But orders were orders…and it was just damn fun to push Konoha around and solidify Kirigakure's foothold on Eden.

Her smile was polite, but seemed forced, "I would be delighted, if it's not considered too unorthodox."

Kisame straightened up, "Oh it will, absolutely, but I'd love to converse somewhere with a more lax atmosphere. I'll have suitable attire delivered to your apartment on the morning of the ball."

"That's very kind of you," she replied tersely.

Stiff, most likely too guarded to imbibe into a state of intoxication in which she'd confine in him. He'd have to find some other way to approach her…Looking up her personal history should be easy enough, but she can't know that _he_ knows. That would only make her more guarded around him and Kisame couldn't have that. Women are no fun like that…

"I hope you'll find it to your liking. Now, I'll excuse myself before your dearest Tsunade comes here and kicks me out. Have a pleasant recovery."

He offered her a polite bow before exiting her room. This should be enough to annoy Tsunade to a healthy extent and now Kisame didn't have to worry about finding a date for the ball.

All in all – a successful day.

* * *

"Calm down, you've done nothing wrong. Also, get back to bed, you'll hurt yourself."

Naoko's head whipped to the computer screen, "Are you joking? Walking around will be nothing compared to Tsunade's rage when she hears. What the hell did I get myself into?"

Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his bed. It was tough to calm the girl down over a computer screen.

"Tsunade-sama won't be mad; in fact she will probably be pleased."

Naoko doubled over, coughing, while her hand gripped the edge of the bed to keep herself from stumbling over. No need to add falling to her early demise in a hospital to her list of embarrassments.

"Get back in bed, right now," ordered Kakashi, concern woven into his voice.

Naoko straightened up and made her way to the bed, leaning heavily on the bed. The pain in her chest was enough of a reminder to keep her pinned to the bed. She turned the laptop back to her and downed another glass of water.

"Happy now, oh leader almighty?"

"Overjoyed," he retorted, jestingly.

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, her weariness showing for the first time. Though the same could've been said about Kakashi.

"I don't even understand why I'm so nervous…I mean, we have nothing to hide, right?"

The soldier nodded, "Indeed, though Hoshigaki can be…forceful. He is an absolute master when it comes to coaxing and he is an excellent diplomat."

"You think that he might interrogate me?" asked Naoko, completely horrified. Her expression drew a chuckled from Kakashi, "Nothing that dramatic, but he might pry and knows how to do it well. Why else would he invite you as his guest and date?"

"…True enough," she deadpanned, leaning heavily against the pillows. Truthfully, she wanted to curl up in a blanket and sleep until all of this blew over.

But Kisame promised her a dress and bought her flowers. How sinister indeed.

"Not to mention that this was all just a display of power," continued Kakashi.

"To undermine Tsunade, yeah, I figured that much out. Waltzing into here without her consent, dragging me to a ball celebrating Kirigakure's existence…"

The pair of tutors fell silent, staring at each other through the computer screens. Kakashi was in the next room, going through the same dosage of decontamination yet they could not talk face to face. A screen was going to suffice for the time being.

"How are you?" she asked, finally confident enough to breach the issue that was hanging over their heads.

"I'm fine."

Naoko rolled her eyes, "You expect me to believe that? Not after what happened on Earth."

The tutor smirked, "I know you better than that…But I'd ask the same of you."

Kakashi always had a habit of steering the conversation away from him. Usually, Naoko let it slide but right now she was vehement about it.

"We let the team reach the bomb. Even then I hesitated - I should've just shot the bomb, considering that it blew up anyway and taken out the hostiles."

Her anger at herself was seeping through as well. Naoko was too much of a perfectionist to tolerate a failure that could've easily been prevented.

Kakashi's eyes were sympathetic, and it drove Naoko insane because she knew that he didn't regret his decision. But he should've, right?

"You didn't worry about yourself? Or the rookies?"

Naoko sighed, "I did worry, about both, but the rookies had more than enough time to get away and the mission comes first."

His eyes narrowed, "The mission? Our mission was to defuse it, not to blow it into bits along with ourselves."

Was that annoyance she detected in his voice? He was usually so level-headed it was hard to understand what triggered it.

"Well the goal obviously changed when we were faced with a group of foreign origins. What if they had made it away with the bomb?"

"You expect me to sacrifice your life when the mission demands it?" he demanded, obviously angry at that point.

Naoko threw up her hands in frustration, "God, _yes_ , of course I expect you to do so. We both knew the risks when we enlisted."

"So you're that eager to throw away your own life?" he demanded.

She groaned, "I'm not _eager_ to do so, just willing to understand that I might _have_ to do it."

"I will never sacrifice my teammates," he stated curtly, and that was final.

A tense silence stretched between the pair. Had they just…fought? Usually the closest thing they had to a conflict was Naoko nagging him about carrying around adult novels around rookies.

She had to clear up this situation…

"I've got work to do," she said stiffly. Without waiting for a reply from Kakashi, she cut off their call, suddenly remembering that she had forgotten to ask about everything that happened on Earth.

Well…that went over well. So much for making up.

For the first time in months she got the urge to draw up Kakashi's personal file. There was so little that she actually knew about the man…Whenever it came down to his past or anything remotely personal then Kakashi found a way to steer the conversation elsewhere and the only people who practiced something like that were harbouring secrets.

He had forwarded Sasuke's file, like promised, but that remained unopened on her desktop as well.

Naoko had plenty of material to go through, but found it hard to focus. She wanted to make up with Kakashi, it left a bad taste in her mouth to just leave their friendship hanging like that, but that would have to wait. She didn't want to patch their friendship over a video call.

Instead, she rolled over and looked at the white roses that Kisame had brought with him.

* * *

 **Well, I'm quite sure you didn't expect to see Kisame working for the government. No worries, there's more to come and hopefully, you'll like it.**

 **My winter break just started so hopefully I'll have sufficient time over the holidays to get another few chapters up and available for you. Do enjoy the holidays!**


	4. Two can keep a secret

4\. Two can keep a secret...

* * *

Can you tell a green field  
From a cold steel rail?  
A smile from a veil?  
Do you think you can tell?

-Pink Floyd – Wish you were here

* * *

 _March 30, 14.34_

Kisame had been true to his word – on the morning of the ball, a gown arrived, accompanied by a pair of matching shoes and a set of jewellery that she had laid out on the bed. It was all topped off with a comically simplistic white card from Kisame, promising that a car was to pick her up in the evening.

It all looked ridiculously expensive for Naoko's taste and she was left wondering how to politely return the items after this ball was over and done with.

And she couldn't put it behind her fast enough.

Tsunade had been uncharacteristically tranquil about the ordeal, merely cautioning her to be careful and watch her tongue that evening and no harm would come from that diplomat's whims.

She and Kakashi were both discharged with an entire fistful of medication to aid their recovery and a pat on the back and wishes of good luck. Since arriving home Naoko had done little besides sleeping and researching, going through all of her materials concerning the Akatsuki, drawing upon Intel's databases to aid her case.

And Intel was of little to no use. She kept getting error messages, barred out from anything she considered relevant.

After a fifth message of that sort she groaned in defeat and shut the laptop and pushed it as far away as possible, afraid that she might vent her frustration on the sad piece of plastic.

Unlike Kakashi, she was reasonable enough to heed Tsunade's advice and move around as little as possible, considering that the night was going to be a strain. She received a curt message from him the day after they were discharged with him announcing his plans to resume training the rookies.

Naoko's mood had dropped significantly after that message. Kakashi hated responsibility and rarely bothered to inform her of his training plans for the three, yet this time he had covered the outline of his plans for next week. Not to mention that he had a legitimate excuse to not teach, no need to come up with ridiculous lies.

She'd have to patch up their relationship…somehow. Knowing that she could only manage a leisurely stroll without her lungs hurting she didn't bother trying to corner Kakashi. He'd simply use his large strides as an advantage and…walk away from her.

What a thrilling pursuit that might be - Kakashi walking ahead with Naoko swaggering behind, gripping her chest.

The woman shook such silly images from her head and went over the plan once more.

For now they had agreed to admit that it was an unknown foreign force they had encountered on Earth. That's all Naoko was to reveal to Kisame, and nothing else. Polite banter and an innocent exchange of personal stories would be considered courteous.

Frankly all she had to do was to smile and look pretty next to Kisame, and refrain from getting drunk. How hard could that be?

Her eyes flickered to the dress – long sleeved, the bodice made entirely out of delicate black lace with an uncomfortably low neckline. She had never worn anything so fancy…

Heck, she lived in a one room apartment with only the bare necessities covered. The fanciest thing Naoko possessed was an overpriced perfume her mother had given her when she graduated the military academy.

She was still young and had time to work her way higher in the ranks.

This thought caused her to halt.

Just how much time did she _really_ have? The mission on Earth could've ended with her death…

Wait…

She shrieked in terror when the phone rang, as if on cue. In her obsessiveness to work she had forgotten to do something important…forgot to call someone important.

The twenty year old woman inhaled a quivering breath before picking up her phone, bracing herself for the verbal onslaught. Actually, she would've gladly taken the first shuttle back to earth at this very moment.

"Shimotsuki Naoko!" bellowed the voice in the receiver, causing her to shrink away deeper into the sofa.

Naoko managed a polite cough, "Good day, mother…"

"What is this I hear? That you were caught in an _explosion_ and on _Earth_ no less? And you were out cold for _FIVE DAYS_? Any reason why I had to receive this information from an automated military e-mail service instead of you? No e-mail, no call, not even a bloody text message?!"

She bit her lip, shutting her eyes tightly, "Well…in my defence it was hard to inform you while unconscious in a decontamination chamber."

The other end of the line went silent and Naoko smacked her face against the table, realising the gravity of her little slip. Just how was she going to face Kisame when she made such careless mistakes around her _mother_?

"You contacted radiation?! And you didn't think to call me? Is it lethal? Is that why you didn't call me?"

Naoko hurriedly try to fix the situation before her mother got any strange ideas, "No! No-no, mother, it's alright. I mean the Hokage reconstructed part of my lungs and the decontamination dealt with the radiation. No strenuous work for two weeks and a fistful of pills to keep me at bay. I'm going to be just fine! Everything is okay."

"The Hokage? Tsunade-sama herself saw to your treatment?"

"Yes! And she will be keeping an eye on me for the next couple of weeks. Do not worry mom, I'm fine. I'm sorry I didn't call you I just…"

She heard her mother smile on the other end, "You just got caught up in work…You and your father really are similar."

"Yeah…It was inconsiderate of me…I didn't know the military sent status updates to the families…"

Naoko grinned when she heard her mother snort with disdain, "Petty, measly, sterile dossiers of sufficiently lacking information. I plan to write a complaint."

"I am scared for the people working at the PR section," she said with a cheeky grin. Her mother could probably stare down Tsunade-sama if necessary.

"It's all over the news, you know that right? Quite the scandal…I knew that you had gone to earth, but I thought it was maybe a different team or…And when you didn't call either I just assumed that you were okay. They've been talking about it non-stop for days on the telly, but no footage was released…Nor any information."

Well, she had read some of the news, but hadn't seen any. A television set was something that she couldn't afford with her salary. Well, if she bothered to save up then maybe, but Naoko didn't have much time to sit around idly and watch telly.

The request was there, hovering in the air. Naoko sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Sorry mom, but I can't disclose any relevant information…The Hokage will be releasing a statement soon enough. Probably tomorrow, that'll give the anchors something to pry on."

Her mother went stiff on the other end, but her tone remained airy, "Of course, I understand. Just…next time when something like this happens at least send me a text if you don't have the time to call. Just let me know that you're alive and _alright_."

Naoko sighed, "Will do, don't worry. Something like this won't happen again any time soon."

"You better hope so or I'm flying all to the capitol to give you a good whipping."

A twenty year old, still under the mercy of her mother's wrath. At least she lived alone?

"Everything good over there?"

Her mother sighed on the other end of the line, "Well if a certain _someone_ would come visit every now and then…"

Naoko grinned, "Well…Tsunade said that I should rest for two weeks. I think I can manage to slip on a plain and give you a visit."

"And you think travel isn't strenuous? Are you sure it would be wise?"

"Don't worry, I'll take it easy," she promised. Well, technically tonight wasn't considered to be of the easy sort, but there was no need to aggravate her mother any further.

Her mother went silent on the other end of the line, probably pondering over something, before finally speaking.

"I've taken up enough of your time. It was nice to hear from you, no thanks to you."

Naoko chortled, "Good bye, mother."

The call was hung up abruptly and Naoko was left staring at the bright screen of her phone, pondering if she should call Kakashi.

She decided against it and threw the phone back on the table. He'll be dealt with tomorrow.

* * *

Hoshigaki Kisame was in his office, leisurely leaning back in the comfortable chair and taking in the scenic city of Konohagakure. They had tried long and hard to replicate what they had had back on Earth, but Kisame preferred the more modern city designs of Kirigakure.

Nevertheless, he had to admit that the view was spectacular and he had secured the best seat in the house.

An assertive knock forced him to avert his eyes and direct his attention elsewhere, drawing up his mask of politeness.

"Do come in," he called out, knowing very well who was behind that door.

It opened to reveal an attractive male with short blonde hair and startling green eyes. The stranger closed the door behind him attentively, casting a quick glance around the room to eliminate the chance of surprise.

Kisame couldn't help the grin that crept on his face, "Well you have certainly chosen an ostentatious look today, Uchiha."

The man made his way across the office, completely passive, "Please refrain from calling me such in a public place, Kisame," he noted dryly. It went ignored by Kisame, of course. This was his territory, his home field and nothing moved without him knowing about it. Chances of them being overheard were close to none.

Itachi took the seat across from the blue skinned diplomat, strangely unperturbed by the diplomat's looks. For the sake of keeping the peace, Kisame raised two hands apologetically, "Fair enough, I didn't call you all the way out here just to jeopardise your…cover." He finished with a joking undertone.

Itachi made no move to respond, preferring to allow Kisame steer the conversation. The diplomat wasted no time to get straight to the point.

"What happened on Earth was careless, and entirely your fault. This is the first time you've seriously slipped up; the team's timing was completely off and cost us the bomb."

The disguised man accepted the critique stoically, making no effort to defend himself. Itachi had discovered long ago that it is easier to make amends through actions, instead of asking for forgiveness. Empty words won't satisfy the Akatsuki.

Despite the topic of discussion, or in the current moment – monologue, Kisame's pleasant tone never wavered, "Well, at least the entire team is dead. No loose ends to babble, but there were two Konoha team heads there, Hatake being one of them."

"Alive?" Itachi asked to confirm his suspicions.

"Indeed, the other one as well. In fact I'm taking her to my ball tonight; see if I can pry anything relevant from her."

Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "You think that they know for certain? That they know anything?"

He had specifically ordered the team not to wear anything identifiable, and if possible avoid speaking entirely. The latter was supposedly and unnecessary order, considering the fact that they were supposed to arrive there _before_ Konoha's platoon.

"I don't think anything, I plan to find out. Besides, little Miss Shimotsuki has the vibes of a possible exploitable asset."

Kisame was pleased to see a ghost of surprise flash over Itachi's features. If the young man was nonchalant before, then now Kisame was certain that name would get the Uchiha invested. A poisonous grin revealed his pointed teeth, "Yes I thought this name might interest you. Jostled my memory when I first received news."

"Is the young, poor and prone to seize power?" asked Itachi with pretended indifference while in fact the gears were rattling in his head loud enough for the rest of the world to hear. Or so he imagined.

The diplomat chuckled, "You're really not even the least bit interested if there's a connection between one and the other?"

His question provoked only sullen silence from the other end. Quite the contrary, Itachi was very interested. Granted, Kisame probably had the knowledge at the tips of his fingertips, but wouldn't share unless Itachi asked for it personally. Allowing the diplomat that joy was unnecessary, Itachi had the resources to discover it on his own.

Kisame shook his head, displeased with the lack of response. It was like a secret pastime of his – drawing genuine reactions from Itachi. The latter had masked his every emotion and intention for as long as they had been assigned to work together.

"To answer your original question – She is not power hungry, but very…civil. The girl will do anything to keep the peace - that makes her quite easy to manipulate if necessary."

Itachi's eyebrow rose, surprise evident in his eyes, another win for Kisame, "You plan to drag her into politics?"

The bulky man shrugged, "Who knows? I haven't quite made up my mind yet." He played down the idea, though Kisame had been devising means to make use of this resource.

"Mind adding me to the guest list?" requested Itachi after toying with the idea for a few seconds. If this was the same Shimotsuki then he had to establish a connection with her.

It took Kisame only a few leisurely clicks on his computer, "Done and done, I used your usual alias. Any particular reason why you're choosing to attend?" the diplomat dragged out his question bemusedly, feigning his ignorance.

There was no worry in Kisame's voice nor suspicion. Itachi had mastered deception long time ago, when he first joined. Changing his face and personality came naturally to the man, considering that the other choice was imprisonment and execution, but slowing down his beating heart at will took a lot more practice.

God was Kisame happy that he hadn't made such a public spectacle of his joining. Actually, Itachi had been the only one that did. To what purpose – Kisame still didn't know the answer.

"I'm curious to see if there's any resemblance," replied Itachi sternly, his voice as unyielding as the façade he portrayed.

Kisame smirked, "Well, enjoy the food until I'm done with her. I heard there will be some dango served as well."

* * *

Naoko was twirling around the mirror, clearly uncomfortable. The bodice clung tightly to her body, the black skirt cascading around her legs. The neckline went almost down to her stomach and to balance it out Kisame had sent her an ostentatiously chunky gold necklace with diamonds adorning the gold plates.

This was definitely not something she was comfortable with…

She had tied her hair up into a bun and even donned some makeup, but felt it clearly fell short of the standard the dress was setting.

It drew a sigh from the woman who slumped hopelessly in front of the mirror, waiting for the impending doom. At least she could walk in heels…she had to learn when she was about to graduate the academy.

At precisely seven she heard her phone ring.

"Is this Shimotsuki Naoko speaking?" asked the unknown voice.

"Yes, this is she."

"Please come downstairs. A car is waiting for you."

She inhaled a calming breath, "Thank you, I'll be there in a minute."

This was just going to be an even consisting of several toasts and a feast and some fireworks in the end. Nothing to worry about…except for the genetic mutant of a diplomat who was more than happy to exploit any weakness she displayed.

Naoko grabbed her keys, a gun and her phone before leaving the safety of her apartment.

She took the stairs and was relieved to find a glossy black vehicle parked right in front of the entrance. It looked so out of place in this neighbourhood, but the chauffeur waiting for her didn't seem to mind.

He opened the door wordlessly, and to Naoko's surprise she discovered that she was alone in the car.

Well…driving there alone would be better than letting the diplomat of Kirigakure catch sight of her living conditions.

She put on the seatbelt when the car began moving, aware that there was an unopened bottle of champagne and truffles left for her. The woman was too nervous to have either, leaving them sitting untouched.

Despite having plenty of time during the day she found herself restless. Naoko hadn't called Kakashi, hadn't called anyone else either. Instead she resorted to futile attempts to sleep and trying to learn how to do her makeup properly.

Naoko was certain that the chauffeur would pick up Kisame, but she was driven to the Kirigakure embassy instead.

The tall building, steel grey and frightening, was bustling with life tonight. Kirigakure's symbolic flag was displayed on every available surface and many of the visitors had chosen to don blue or silver garments, some even going as far to dye their hair blue.

Naoko took a shuddering breath in before exiting the car with a poised look. She walked steadily towards the exit, well aware that she stuck out like a sore thumb. While the other visitors were positively jubilant, she struggled to maintain an air of neutrality in this festive atmosphere.

The woman melted into the crowd sluggishly moving towards the entrance, happening to be the only one without a companion.

Despite being only right outside the embassy, champagne was pouring and bottles of it were being passed around by guests who toasted to Kirigakure and its success.

Naoko observed these exchanges passively, trying to locate Kisame to no avail. After what seemed to last a century the line had reached her. Luckily, her lungs were currently feeling great. Sitting and standing around didn't require much effort from her part.

Without even hearing her name the receptionist gave her a dazzling smile, "Miss Shimotsuki, we've been expecting you! Hoshigaki-sama was growing worried."

She gave a short laugh, "I assure you, there was no cause to worry. I was a little taken aback by the embassy's transformation." She retorted with matching politeness.

The nameless receptionist, dressed from head to toe in blue, gestured for Naoko to head inside and she thankfully accepted. The high heels that Kisame had made her wear started to hurt her feet, but she steeled her nerves and braced on.

The normally sterile and clean embassy walls had been decorated with flowing blue fabrics and machines had been brought in to generate a thick layer of mist to cover the floor, it shifted with the air currents, enveloping Naoko's skirts.

She followed the sound of chatter and music towards the main atrium of the embassy and was forced to hold back an involuntary gasp when she entered the room. All furniture had been removed from the room and replaced by four curved tables, set to form the Kirigakure kingdom's symbol, that were covered with various dishes of caviar, fish and octopus that looked incredibly inviting.

It was all limited to seafood and rice, except for a lone tray of dango that caught her sight, out of place and clearly serving some purpose here.

It seemed that the entire embassy was flooded with a thick layer of mist that lingered on the floor. Naoko looked up to the ceiling, illuminated by blue lights that gave the entire room the feel of being under water.

She took notice that the pillars supporting this structure were covered with pompous glitter and the wall of windows that was usually covered with a wall of curtains was left bare for tonight, no doubt to enjoy the fireworks, but for now they revealed Eden's lavender moon peering down at them, shining faint purple light to balance out the blue.

Amidst the crowd she caught sight of dancers and waiters, but what caught her attention was a black haired man in traditional garb.

At first glance it seemed as if he was merely blowing bubbles from a podium, but when Naoko strained her eyes a bit she could make out the intrinsic and delicate figures.

Just how this man created them was a mystery, but he continued with stoicism common to Kirigakure's natives. Only tonight did they seem to shake of that stereotypical trait, dancing to the endless flow of live music from the orchestra and drowning one bottle of champagne after another.

Naoko held back a shudder when she sensed the diplomat's presence. She allowed her eyes dart over to him, clad in black with his hair slicked back to enhance the man's sharp features and guarded eyes.

Truthfully, Hoshigaki scared her. Not because of his appearance, she could stomach that, but his deceptive amicableness frightened her much more. He had the bearings of one who could coax any information with no brute force.

"He's called Utakata, just so you know. Lives off events such as this."

"Quite an impressive feat," admitted Naoko, knowing that a team most likely assembled this in mere hours and they'd have just as little time to clean up after the party.

Kisame smirked, "It's decent…I requested to flood the floor, make it more authentic."

"How about releasing some wildlife as well? Might as well go all the way." She suggested playfully, drawing a harsh laugh from Kisame.

"I'll keep it in mind for next year."

He slid is eyes over her, obviously pleased with himself, "I see you didn't lie about your measurements in your record. You look positively decent, Shimotsuki…."

She didn't let the nearly back-handed compliment lure her into a false sense of security, "Indeed, it is a pleasant change to wearing a uniform."

"Please," chortled Kisame, "then relax your shoulders. No need to feel tense here."

He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a tray and gave one to Naoko who accepted it politely.

"To Kirigakure, and hopefully to a future of positive relations," toasted Kisame, his narrow eyes peering into Naoko's as they clanked their glasses together, sipping the beverage.

"To Kirigakure," she echoed his words, aware that Kisame's eyes hadn't left her since he appeared by her side.

"My hunch to invite you here was correct indeed; it is much more pleasant to converse now that we're no separated by a wall."

Naoko offered a courteous bow, lowering her gaze respectfully, "And it is a privilege to be here, you've shown a lot of effort to get me here."

 _And for a reason. So why don't you spit it out?_

His grin widened, "The company of a beautiful lady and insight I could never receive from anyone else."

So, he had finally cut the pleasantries somewhat and got down to business. The chattering and music masked their conversation and as long as both of them kept on the polite mask, no bystander could tell that something was amiss.

Naoko looked like an angel, her head slightly tilted to the side, "What could I possibly provide that the Hokage has no doubt already told you?"

"The Hokage tells me nothing," said Kisame tersely, "And it seems Konoha wishes to keep any and all information concerning the matter to themselves."

Her brow furrowed in doubt, "You think that Konoha is deliberately withholding information?"

If this was indeed the case, then she had to use any method possible to dispel those doubts. Naoko couldn't allow the diplomat to add more intensity to the delicate balance between Konoha and Kirigakure.

Kisame on the other hand knew that he had hit gold. This was his way to coax information from the girl – play with her desire to play peacekeeper.

"Please excuse me for a little while, but as the host I have to go mingle a little…quite a troublesome task when you think about it. I'll be eager to continue our…discussion later. Enjoy the party, miss Shimotsuki," he said, abruptly ending their conversation and walking away.

It took a few seconds for Naoko to comprehend what had just happened before she slapped on the polite smile and walk to the opposite direction from Kisame.

She kept her eyes on him at all times, occasionally losing him in the crowd. The man was a social chameleon, banter coming to him as naturally as breathing. He could adapt with any group in the room with relative ease, sharing cheerful drinks with the young socialites of Kirigakure or paying respects with old veterans, nothing was out of his spectrum of expertise.

Naoko slowly walked to the dinner tables, determined to find something to eat since it wasn't out of the question that Kisame might try to get her purposefully drunk.

Her thoughts sombrely trailed to Kakashi as she piled on the honeyed seaweed and octopus on her plate. He'd know exactly what to do and how to handle the situation.

Dango, the only item in the array that was somewhat native to Konoha and it had been left nearly untouched. Only three sticks were missing. She added one to her plate before heading off to the window to get away from the crowd.

She stood there, surrounded by the mist and standing under the watchful moon.

 _Straight out of a legend…_ thought Naoko with a small smile on her lips.

Naoko ate in tranquil silence, contemplating her next moves. It wouldn't be wrong to simply reveal to Kisame that Konoha had no idea what had taken place on Earth, yet her mind couldn't stop nagging her about the Akatsuki.

Perhaps Kisame could trade some information with her…Anything about recent moves from the Akatsuki in exchange for…nothing but wind.

In truth her knowledge about the situation wasn't worth a penny. Naoko held back a sigh, too strict for such displays of laziness.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a man she hadn't noticed before. It was hard to pinpoint the colour of his eyes or hair under the blue light, leaving her with only assumptions.

Naoko inclined her head politely, "Good evening." She said when it was clear that the man had no intentions of moving on.

He was quite handsome, as tall as she was in heels, with a white suit that was unmarred by any creases or stains. Naoko suspected that the man was one of the young Kirigakure entrepreneurs with more money than humanly comprehensible. By Eden's standards of course.

The man nodded in her direction, a full glass of champagne loosely between his fingers.

Silence dragged on before he spoke. "May I ask your name?"

Was this some sort of…awkward attempt to flirt? Naoko tried to fathom the idea, but declared it ludicrous.

"Shimotsuki Naoko."

"November…quite close, but I'd say you're not from Kirigakure," the man noted pointedly.

Naoko laughed, "It's that obvious, isn't it? I am in fact from Konohagakure."

He nodded quietly, "You have good control over your face. Do not react to what I'm about to tell you next."

The woman's smile didn't falter, but her hand almost twitched to her pistol that was safely tucked into her bag. Exactly why hadn't anyone done a weapon's search at the entrance was a mystery to her. She could simply pull out the gun and send a bullet through Kisame's head.

…Okay maybe Kisame wasn't the easiest target, but she had a point.

The man cast another look at her and cracked a small smile, "Good, keep that smile in place. You were on Earth, if I'm correct."

Naoko held back a groan, was this man a reporter? He didn't look like one…

"Yes…I'm impressed of your knowledge." She noted tersely, her tone reflecting none of the warmth that was on her face.

The man plucked the dango stick from her plate, eating it in one go. "Information is my currency. As a courtesy, this first tip is free of charge."

It took her more effort than she wanted to admit to keep the worry from seeping into her eyes and body language. Naoko took a breath and tried to relax her shoulders a little.

"I am listening."

"If you value your life then don't mention the Akatsuki tonight. Kisame will try to draw out your personal opinion, stick to whatever story you decided upon earlier."

This revelation was nearly enough for Naoko to drop her plate in surprise. Her eyes flickered to the man's face, but she didn't recognise him as anyone famous, nor was he on Konoha's wanted list. An information broker, but which one? There had to be hundreds of them.

Causing a scene then and there would be unwise, so Naoko feigned to be taking a sip from the champagne glass, "How do you know what my personal opinion might be?"

The man crossed his arms over his chest, "Your articles about the Akatsuki are readily available online. They do have an affinity for bombs…Someone with your background might easily connect the two - or at the very least suspect."

"It sounds like you are protecting them," she noted dryly with a beaming smile.

He halted before chuckling, "Quite the contrary, I'm protecting you instead. You're no good to me dead, who'd continue your investigation? Don't frown, Shimotsuki," he added absentmindedly and Naoko hastily wiped the scowl from her face.

"I should just arrest you both and take you in for interrogation." She muttered dangerously. Thank god that she had brought her gun…actually all it did was provide her with some sense of security, considering the fact that Kakashi wasn't there.

"Risking another political scandal based on no evidence but my words would be…unwise."

There was no disappointment in his voice, but a rational warning and Naoko had to admit that he was right. The broker had given her a warning, not hard solid data that she could rely on.

"Fair enough. No mention of the Akatsuki tonight. Thank you for the warning."

The man's lips twitched into a smirk, "Enjoy the party…"

He stalked away into the crowd, disappearing as suddenly as he had arrived.

Naoko left the plate and champagne to a nearby table and dived into the crowd, in search for Kisame, still shaken by the stranger's words. Protecting her…who was the broker protecting her from? Kisame or the Akatsuki? Could the...it seemed preposterous to even think this, but could the two be connected somehow?

She couldn't stop thinking about the possibility as the night processed on. Even Kisame's heartfelt speech of cooperation and prosperity didn't ease her worries. She observed it with dry silence, aware that he wasn't really…saying anything.

Also, the identity of this information broker. There were too many variables and not much that she could do without a solid connection to the internet and a limitless database.

For now, Naoko had to admit that she was at Kisame's mercy for the duration of the night. And just maybe it would be possible to get out of this early.

She clapped along with the others when he was finished with the speech. She had dumped her glass earlier so had nothing to toast with.

Instead, Naoko waited for him to get off the podium to find him and get this over with, properly this time.

It didn't take long to find him, massive as he is, mingling with a group of men who represented everything Konoha children were afraid of. Stern, strong and tough – they cracked no smiles and the men's faces remained completely impassive.

When Kisame noticed her standing there, he excused himself promptly and walked over to her.

"Enjoying the party I hope?"

"Absolutely, a nice alternative to the business-like atmosphere of the military."

Kisame's ears didn't miss the jab, "You're tired of military life?"

She shook her head jerkily, "Oh no-no, not tired, just thankful for the change of scenery."

The diplomat grinned, feeling right at home in his territory, "You're young, if you ever want to switch careers then give me a call."

"I'll make sure to remember this very…generous offer."

"I mean it, Shimotsuki," something about the way he pronounced her name sent shivers down her spine, "I believe you'd be a natural."

She lowered her eyes, afraid that Kisame might catch the uneasiness in her eyes. The broker's warning had scared her more than she dared to admit and made her wary of the mutated diplomat once again, renewing her fear.

"Thank you."

Kisame led her away from the crowd and back to the open window, no doubt waiting for the fireworks to start. This would be the perfect place and men were already fumbling around in the gardens in front of them.

"What happened on Earth?" asked Kisame, his eyes attentively turned to the moon.

Naoko shrugged, "We were sent to investigate the bomb. Instead an unidentified ground team landed and displayed every intention to either blow it up or take it with them."

Kisame rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Both options would've been…problematic."

"Indeed," she agreed with him, "which is why we tried to take them out. Sadly, we weren't quick enough and they managed to detonate it."

"Identity of the team?"

Naoko's heart fluttered like a butterfly, "Nothing, I saw no flags or other identifying symbolism."

The dress seemed suddenly constricting and uncomfortable, especially under Kisame's scrutinising eyes.

"And what do you believe?" he asked, eyes casually flickering to catch her reaction.

Naoko frowned, "I'm keeping away from prejudices. It could've been quite literally anyone."

Kisame chuckled, "That's the official response, and if I wanted that I would've called Tsunade."

Oh he was prying for something very specific indeed. Naoko was still unsure who to place her trust in – the broker or Kisame.

Revealing her doubts to him could give her access to information Konoha didn't have but…

The broker, he dealt with information. Possibly illegal and dangerous, but a neutral party nonetheless. He wanted her to continue her investigation – did that mean that the broker was actively working against the Akatsuki?

She smiled innocently, looking right into his eyes through her eyelashes, "I'm betting on one of the five kingdoms."

Kisame's lips moved, but his response was drowned out by the banging and whines the fireworks made and suddenly the sky was covered in thousands of little sparks, as if applauding to Naoko for a successful lie.

* * *

 **Finally, Itachi enters the picture! I know that it is barely a cameo, but everything in due time. He has plenty of impact on this story and the future so brace yourselves!**

 **I wanted to get this chapter out before the holidays because I'll most likely be visiting relatives and that sort of stuff so I can't promise that I'll spend much of my spare time writing. Then again curling up with a cup of tea and my laptop would be quite nice with some warm homemade woollen socks to top it off.**

 **Merry Christmas my dear readers and another thanks for Akari and Davina who've been loyally reviewing this story during its short existence. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Lilyholics**


	5. Three Wishes

5\. Three Wishes

* * *

"Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this. Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget."  
― **Robert Jordan**

* * *

 _April 5, 11.30_

Naoko stalked into the classroom quietly, thankful for the cover the dim light brought her. After the visit to the Kirigakure embassy she had taken the chance to slip away from Konohagakure and head back home for a short visit, arriving back in the capitol just yesterday.

Injury provided a perfect excuse to slip away from any possible media attention and her inner turmoil.

Excuse wasn't the right word, opportunity was more fitting. She had wanted to visit home for a while now, and see her mother as well. Before the botched mission on Earth she had been too preoccupied with her duties to take the necessary time off.

Kakashi, the broker, Kisame, the Akatsuki – it was all too much to handle in one go and a change of scenery was in order.

Instead of dealing with the matters at hand, she banished herself to the countryside, enjoying the less polluted air and finishing up her recovery.

Now it was over and done with and she had to return to reality and the first thing on her list of problems would be the easiest to deal with.

Well, perhaps not the simplest, but locating Kakashi was much more effortless than finding the nameless information broker. At least the former followed a set schedule.

Not to mention she wanted to join forces with her partner, his experience and quick wit an important asset.

The situation with Kirigakure had died down, thankfully, and the Kirigakure diplomat hadn't pestered Naoko any further.

Tsunade released her statement about the situation and the day after the celebrations Kirigakure released a response. The usual political babble about doing everything to find the culprits and so on with no mention of hostilities or hard feelings towards Konoha.

All in all, it was a success and made the Hokage's life a lot easier.

The team leaders' recovery was progressing positively. Naoko's blood work had shown no signs of rejecting the artificial tissue and considering the fact that Kakashi was giving a lecture, it was safe to assume that he was making a hefty recovery as well.

Tsunade had given Naoko permission to start assuming her usual duties and pick off her classes where she had left off before the mission, but still warning her about putting her body under strain so no active missions or training as of yet.

She took a seat in the back row, listening to Kakashi's case study.

He was in fact giving a lecture about their mission to earth, accompanied with video material. His appearance was lax and informal as always, contrasting with Naoko's strict and pristine attire.

A trait in Kakashi that Naoko absolutely adored was his ability to admit his mistakes.

He didn't try to cover up their poor judgement in dealing with the situation – instead he pointed out every single flaw to the students to make sure they would learn something from this and refrain from committing the same errors.

In short – he wouldn't create pompous propaganda to turn his lecture into some praise of the military's skill just to save face and his reputation.

The lights turned on automatically, marking the end of the lecture and the shades were removed to flood the room with the warm spring sun.

Kakashi scanned the room, spotting Naoko's familiar red hair with ease and his eyes clouded over with some sombre emotion.

She waited patiently for the students to shuffle out; they were older than her rookie group, close to graduation. Soon many of them would resume real jobs and missions...Yet Naoko looked at them and saw children.

The woman remained rooted to her seat until the last students were done with their questions and the two team leaders were left in stifling solitude.

Kakashi stood behind the desk, shutting off the monitors and collecting his materials, leaving it up to Naoko to make the first move.

She got up from her seat and headed down the stairs, stopping at a safe distance, fumbling with her hands and straightening her skirt while trying to find the right words. They had never conflicted like this before and she wasn't sure where to start...

Or even who to blame! She wasn't sure if he was expecting an apology or was it up to her.

"I've been meaning to talk to you."

The man finished packing and finally, out of excuses to avoid Naoko, looked up to meet her gaze. A flurry of emotions whirled across his face – relief to see her, joy, hurt. He was making no effort to hide anything from her.

"I wanted to pay you a visit, but you were out of town," he replied, feeling some of the tension melt away from Naoko's face when she realised the lack of animosity in his tone.

She cracked a tiny smile, "Indeed, I went home. Mother dearest was displeased that I hadn't informed her of my accident or present state."

Kakashi chuckled, "I can only imagine Mimi's wrath…"

He had met the woman twice and she had imprinted a strong impression to his memory.

Fiercely caring and protective of her daughter, but there was a sense of duty in her as well. Probably because her late husband had been in the military and with her daughter following in his footsteps – she knew exactly what to expect from this life.

"Surprisingly tame, actually, once she got the initial whipping and lectures out of the way."

They stood in silence, with the air conditioner humming in the background and the sound of students swaggering about the academy hallways, making their way to their next lectures.

"Kakashi, would you please tell me what happened in the hospital?" she asked, finally breaching the topic that they had been tiptoeing around.

During Naoko's absence they had still distantly instructed their team with theoretical material while Guy had been working on their training, but the team leaders both knew that their youngsters were far too smart to not realise that something was amiss.

Usually they would instruct them on matters that were related, coordinating their lessons, but lately it seemed that they were following separate paths.

Personal feelings couldn't temper with their training, and perhaps they could've worked around it, but Naoko didn't want to lose the friendship of the man that she had grown so accustomed to. She missed his light jokes and apparent nonchalance towards the world while still managing to be attentive to everyone around him.

A rift caused simply because she obviously didn't know enough about her partner was something she didn't want to cloud her future. Not to mention this conflict could hinder upcoming missions as well.

They needed to truly trust one another to work efficiently.

Personal feelings and judgements had no place in the military, but Naoko knew well enough that this was often not the case and despite what Konoha believed, they were still human.

"I lost my temper and I'm sorry, it was unfair to snap at you like that," managed Kakashi, choosing his words carefully.

His apology was earnest, his one visible eye holding Naoko's gaze, hoping to patch this up.

Truthfully he had missed her presence as much as she missed him, hoping to return to the relative tranquillity they had shared. He didn't dislike her presence and she rarely pried, tactful like a politician.

Naoko shook her head, "I want to know why you got so worked up about it, it is an explanation I'm looking for – not an apology."

He sighed, lowering his gaze and rubbing the back of his head. Emotional confrontations like this made him uncomfortable and he wasn't looking forward to bearing his old wounds to the young team leader.

The exchange was luckily interrupted when the recruits for the next lecture started to drizzle into the room. Naoko glanced at them briefly before turning back to Kakashi, her gaze betraying her determination to find out the truth.

"You're not slithering away from this, Kakashi." She warned him, her hands resting on her hips.

The man held back the urge to sigh, there was no avoiding this if he truly wanted to patch things up with Naoko and resume the usual daily life that he had grown so accustomed to.

"Dinner at your place?" he offered casually. This way he could ensure that they wouldn't be overheard and the privacy might help ease his nervousness.

Kakashi was incredibly individualistic, but this confrontation was unavoidable and he accepted that there was no way around the matter – he'd have to indulge some personal information.

Actually he was glad that it was Naoko instead of anyone else. Working side by side is a brilliant way to build up trust between two individuals.

She cracked a smile, pleased that some of the tension had been defused, "I'll whip something up. Is six alright?"

Well, setting a time with Kakashi was meaningless. He'd be late anyway.

"Sure, I'll be there."

Naoko grabbed his wrist to glance at the time before nodding and offering a short wave, "Lovely, I'll see you at seven then." She said with a grin before heading out of the classroom.

* * *

Naruto was concentrating intently on the target in front of him before pulling the trigger, missing the dummy's heart by several inches. He held back a groan when he saw Sasuke firing four consecutive shots and they all hit the target perfectly.

How was he going to impress Sakura? She'd never spare a second glance to him until he became the most epic sharpshooting Hokage that Konoha had ever seen. Shooting Sasuke was out of the question…

He nearly yelped in surprise when he felt someone's hands on his shoulders. The boy looked up and a large grin spread across his face at the familiar red hair.

"Shimotsuki!" The teen exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of his other teammates as well.

Naoko offered a sly smirk before smacking his shoulders, "I'm absent for a few weeks and this is what your form looks like? Loosen up your shoulders, and lower your right elbow!" she barked the directions, guiding Naruto into a better stance.

She nodded when his position was satisfactory enough and stepped back, "Good, now try again."

This time he hit the target right in the in centre, much to Naoko's pleasure, but there was still room for improvement. This position had to become second nature or he will never be able to fire while on the move. Not to mention that Naoko won't be there on the field to lower his elbows.

The blonde turned around, excited, earning a nod of approval from his team leader.

"Decent, Uzumaki. Try hitting the same spot again a few dozen times."

"Instructor! You've recovered!" said Sakura, who poked her head out from her shooting booth, clearly relieved.

Naoko offered the girl a warm smile, "Indeed, thanks to the Hokage. Give me another week or so and we'll resume the usual routines."

"Kakashi has been training us somewhat for the past week," the girl mumbled to herself.

Naoko snorted, rolling her eyes, "Kakashi is also a fool for ignoring the doctor's advice. They don't go through _years_ of medical training for nothing."

Sakura, like the rest of her team, had been relieved when she heard that Naoko and Kakashi were recovering. When they first recovered them…she had never seen so much blood in her life. And the wheezy breaths and endless coughing...She was completely sure that their instructors would both die there.

Like the rest of Konoha, she had kept an eye on the news as her only source of information. Kakashi had been tight lipped about the ordeal and Naoko, after mingling with the diplomats, had left town.

She had read both of the official responses and reached the same conclusion that most of the population had - that the Military didn't really know what had transpired.

"Teacher, you looked beautiful at the Kirigakure embassy," she offered shyly. A picture of her had slipped to a fashion magazine last week, the article analysed the best and worst choices of clothing at the embassy celebrations.

Naoko smiled at the compliment, "Ah, yes, that…" she mumbled, embarrassed, "Not my usual choice of social events, but interesting enough."

Her eye caught the Uchiha reloading his gun, but the boy looked distraught.

She offered a few pointers to Sakura as well, pleased to see that the girl had improved during her absence. When she wasn't so focused on impressing Sasuke, she turned out to be quite decent soldier material, but still far from the Uchiha's level.

What was it with this team that they were so focused on impressing one another instead of personal improvement?

The instructor headed over to Sasuke, motioning him away from the other two teammates. She looked down at him good naturedly, but didn't dance around the subject and headed straight to the point.

"Speak freely, recruit Uchiha. I can see that something is troubling you."

The boy didn't avoid her gaze, "You made a mistake by sending me away, back on Earth."

Naoko held back a smirk, "You think that we underestimate your abilities?"

"That's exactly what I think."

"Our decision was purely tactical. First of all you carried no firearms, yet the enemy did. They would've gunned you down before it even came to close combat. Secondly, I trusted you to guard your teammates in case we had failed. Out of the three, you were the only one wise enough to bring a weapon with you. That was clever of you to prepare for the worst, that's why we wanted you with the rest of your teammates."

Her response was logical, and Naoko hadn't hesitated or tarried for time. Personally, she had thought that the Uchiha would realise it on his own.

Perhaps Sasuke did see the truth, but it still pained his pride. She could only imagine how much pressure there was in his family to succeed in everything and running from a conflict was far from his idea of living up to that expectation.

Naoko smiled, "Don't think that we don't pay attention to you three. As a team leader I didn't doubt your abilities, but from a tactical perspective it was unwise to keep you with Kakashi and I, and I stand by that decision."

"Understood," the boy replied, tersely.

The red haired instructor straightened up, "Splendid, and thank you for your honesty."

"Oh Sasuke," Naoko called out before the boy could escape, "I think you should switch to moving targets today. No point in hollowing the same spot in the wall."

The informality melted away from Naoko and she resumed her usual strict demeanour – offering praise where it was earned and scolding them for mistakes that were incredibly basic. She was going to whip this team to be the best rookie team of the generation.

* * *

The day had been tiring and Naoko had overworked herself a little. She was at home, pleasantly numbed by the pain medication and sprawled on her sofa, focusing on her breaths. Dinner was bubbling away, though Kakashi was depressingly late once again.

Well, it was questionable if he was even going to turn up before midnight! It was already well past eight.

His habit of tardiness will be the death of him someday. What if he's kidnapped on the way yet no one worries simply because it is Kakashi.

Naoko had passed the time looking through Intel's list of wanted criminals. It was a futile hope, but she hoped to find the broker's face there.

Knowing his alias, if not a real name, would be enough to start finding means to contact the man. The possibilities were endless; Naoko couldn't even imagine how much the man might've known about the Akatsuki. Maybe even their motive behind the nuclear explosions…

When she reached the end of the list empty handed the girl sighed.

Uchiha Itachi was someone she would've loved to have at Konoha's Intel…to seek out and successfully find the Akatsuki on his own? Just what means did he employ…

If only she could gain access to his computer…

Or maybe she could?

Was Fugaku foolish enough to keep Itachi's belongings? Was the Uchiha heir foolish enough not to clean up after himself? It was unlikely but people _always_ make mistakes at one point or another.

This was not her usual way of handling things, but Naoko was more than tempted to take advantage of the fact that she had one Uchiha on her team. Maybe pay a house visit?

This was something to coordinate with Kakashi, but first things first – she'd have to mend their friendship again before the pair could start plotting together. There was so much she had to share with him that Naoko had kept to herself.

The broker and the cryptic hints that he had dropped were nothing substantial enough to share with the Hokage, but she had to keep on investigating and Naoko wasn't going to do it alone. Heck, it would be an outright suicide mission to take on the Akatsuki with nothing more than a pistol and the clothes on her back.

Her pondering was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. It didn't take much to figure out who this someone might be. Naoko put away her laptop before heading to the door, swinging it open with her hand resting on her hip.

"Six, we agreed?" she asked with a sugary smile to mask her displeasure.

The masked captain ruffled his silver hair, "Yes I was on my way here, but a nearby house caught fire and I helped with the rescue."

"Indeed, I can see how your clothes are burned to a crisp," she noted dryly, motioning for him to enter her modest apartment. The man's excuses got more and more imaginative each time, though the redhead admired his ability to keep coming up with them.

She moved the stew from the stove and set it on the table and hastily produced some rice. While she shuffled around, Kakashi took a moment to take in every detail in sight. A professional habit, so to say. Just as the image Naoko portrayed her apartment reflected her personality.

Every surface was clean and every item had a purpose. She didn't have a pile of clothes waiting to be washed anywhere in sight or a cold cup of coffee left there in the morning rush. All in all, the place was clean and completely practical.

His musings were interrupted when Naoko called from the kitchen, "Beer?" she asked while rummaging through the fridge.

"Yeah, thanks."

Kakashi sat down behind the table and pushed the mask down from his face and took a generous sip of the cold beer while Naoko helped herself to the stew, using this as a chance to fetch all the meat. She glanced upward for a second and almost spilled her dinner all over the table.

"Wow…" said Naoko, her voice trailing off, "You have a beauty mark…I didn't know that."

The man chuckled, forgetting about his constant masked state, "Indeed, you've seen me without my mask before, haven't you?"

"Actually, I don't think I have. The thought didn't cross my mind; it's sort of your natural state."

"Did you think I'd eat dinner through a straw?" deadpanned Kakashi, slightly amused. Well, that was one secret out of the way. Now all he had to do was explain Obito to his fellow teammate and then the night could be called an awkward success.

She had become so accustomed to seeing him wearing the mask at all times that Naoko hadn't really thought about what he might look like without it. His left eye was still covered by a headband bearing Konoha's symbol.

Actually he looked quite beautiful. She had half-expected for the man to be disfigured under his disguise with scars from his youth or something along the line, but Kakashi was just a regular handsome man.

She tried not to stare at him too blatantly, but it felt like this would be the only chance to catch a glimpse of his face.

They seemed to have formed a silent agreement not to touch any sensitive subjects until after dinner. Instead they discussed the rookies, their progress and possible future choices for the three. They even breached the subject of personal interests for a moment, just to laugh at their inability to dedicate themselves to anything else besides work.

It was a strangely pleasant affair, but they were both still a little tense. When they were done, he helped her clean up, volunteering to wash the dishes while Naoko packed the leftovers away to the fridge.

"How long are we going to dance around the subject?" she asked finally, shutting the fridge sharply, being the bravest of the two. Kakashi had his back turned towards her, but it was hard to avoid her glare in the cramped kitchen.

"Are you telling me you'd like a dance?"

The little jab earned him a slap against his back with the towel that Naoko had grabbed from a nearby counter. She started drying the dishes, masking her displeasure with boredom, "Why do you keep avoiding the subject?"

Kakashi sighed, "I'm not trying to be deliberately mysterious by avoiding talking about my past. It's just a subject that's…hard to talk about, and requires a long explanation."

He shut of the water and finally turned around to face Naoko. She was patiently waiting for Kakashi to breach the subject, after two years of being in the dark about his past.

"We have all the time in the world."

"You know of my father, I trust?"

Naoko bit her lip, "Hatake…Sakumo, if I remember correctly. A genius, both famous and invaluable."

The man smiled, nostalgic, "Indeed, until he chose his teammates over the success of the mission. It earned him the scorn of Konoha and even the disappointment of his teammates. The same ones that he chose to save."

She dreaded to hear the rest, intuitively sensing where the story was headed. No wonder she hadn't heard anything about the spy in years…There was only one outcome to this story.

"He committed suicide?" she asked.

Kakashi nodded, his eyes cast to the floor, "Indeed, and from that I learned my first lesson. The mission always comes first. Just like you, I believed this to be the absolute truth and mantra to abide by."

"What changed?" she prompted him, anxious to hear the rest of it.

"I met him, my teammate Obito Uchiha…He was quite a lot like Naruto, personality wise. Talented, in his own way…We were on a mission, tasked to blow up a bridge to hinder Iwagakure from gaining leverage. Our third teammate, Rin, was captured."

Naoko sighed, "And you decided to leave her behind, and carry out the mission instead?"

The man nodded, "Indeed. Though Obito would have none of it," he laughed humourlessly, "Obito declared I was trash for abandoning my friends and turned back to save Rin. Something in his way and persona, he changed me."

"You abandoned the mission, didn't you?"

"Indeed, I followed him, and lucky that I did. He would've been killed had I not taken the blow, losing my eye in the process. Long story short, we defeated one of the Iwagakure's soldiers, but while we were trying to save Rin the other soldiers tried to bury us all."

Iwagakure's speciality, small explosives.

"They blew up the cave."

Kakashi nodded, "Indeed. My eye was still injured and Obito pushed me out of the way to keep me from being crushed by a boulder I didn't even see coming. The same boy who had called me trash sacrificed himself to keep his friends safe."

Silence lingered and Naoko was afraid to ask about the final piece of the puzzle. This was…completely unfair. Kakashi, for her at least, had always seemed like a fearless leader who knew exactly how to behave in any situation, who never made any mistakes.

Perhaps the revelation that he was just as human as the rest of them is what made her so sad.

"The mission had been a failure, and I couldn't even keep my team intact."

Naoko shook her head frantically, "It wasn't your fault! It wasn't anyone's fault…"

Yet Kakashi seemed deaf to her words, his mind wandering deeper into his past, "Rin died later, by my hand none the less. An accident, but that's how I lost my team and broke my promise to Obito to keep her safe."

Naoko released a shuddering breath. She had the same code as Kakashi in his youth. No wonder he had lashed out at her in the hospital when she so heatedly declared that she expected for him to sacrifice her if necessary.

"You don't want me to make the same mistakes."

The silver haired man nodded, "No, I don't. Not if I can help it, and I will never choose the mission over your life. I refuse to lose another teammate."

Naoko reached out and gripped his hand in an attempt to offer him some comfort.

"Kakashi, for what it's worth…I'm sorry about your friends and thank you for sharing this with me."

This confession was quite possible one of the hardest obstacles Kakashi had faced during his friendship with Naoko.

This was the first time in years that Kakashi had truly shown just how vulnerable he was. Naoko had enough knowledge to completely destroy him yet he knew that now he had breached the imaginary wall that he had kept between him and the world.

He had let someone in, and as frightening as it seemed, he didn't regret this decision.

Kakashi did something uncharacteristic and pulled Naoko against his chest. She didn't struggle against him, returning the hurried embrace instead.

"You get only one team. Keep them safe, or you'll be a damn bitter old man like me."

Naoko bit back a smile, "I wouldn't call you that old," she mumbled, unsure if Kakashi could even make out her words while her face was all but buried in his chest.

She heard a low laugh booming in his chest, "Give me a walking stick and I could fool anyone."

"Silly man…"

They remained like that for a long while. The outside world seemed to hold little meaning while they were safely tucked away in Naoko's little kitchen with his hands still wet from the dishes, staining the back of her shirt.

"So…" he coughed, feeling healthily awkward in this situation, "Want to watch a movie?"

Naoko stepped away from him, leaning against the opposite counter with an embarrassed smile, "If you can tolerate watching it from a laptop…I don't really have a TV."

"Fair enough, you get the movie, I'll get the beers." He said airily, trying to lighten the mood to keep his own mind from wandering the usual path.

Whenever he touched the subject of his friends, Kakashi couldn't help but to fall to a delicate state and he didn't want to be alone, at least not tonight.

Sharing this with Naoko sort of made her an accomplice in his eyes. One more person to come one step closer to understanding him.

If she guessed his present state of mind or motives, she did a good job of concealing her knowledge.

Naoko responded as if nothing was amiss and grinned, "I hope you like horror…"

The redhead leapt away and onto the sofa while Kakashi reached down to the fridge and fetched two beers.

He headed to the sofa just to hear Naoko's sharp intake of breath, "Shit!" the woman cursed.

The fact that something got the otherwise uptight soldier to curse was cause of concern enough. Kakashi tried to look over her shoulder to see what had drawn such a reaction from her, but Naoko pushed the computer away and grabbed the beer from Kakashi's hand, downing it in one go.

When she was finished she stood up on the sofa and gripped Kakashi's shoulders tightly, her brown orbs peering into his visible eye.

"Okay, change of plans. There are some delicate matters I sort of haven't had the time to tell you…"

* * *

 **Happy new years to you my dearest readers!**

 **I'm sorry for my long absence, but I didn't want to release something that was hastily written or forced while I was in no mood to write anything at all. Instead I've spent the last month reading fanfiction instead, quite a pleasant change.**

 **A very Kakashi-centric chapter, but I really wanted for them to finally make up and form a unified front and I think that two years of working together is long enough. Naoko deserves to know at least something about Kakashi's personal life.**

 **Lilyholics**


	6. Table for X, Please

6\. Table for X, Please

* * *

 _The devil's finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist._

― **Charles Baudelaire** , **Paris Spleen**

* * *

 _March 31, 5:15 AM_

Kisame was one of the early arrivals this morning. To be exact, he had not returned home after the celebrations had ended. Instead he remained behind long enough to give his secretary necessary instructions.

His dearest female companion, dressed impeccably thanks to him, had retired a few hours ago. No matter, he had gotten everything he desired and the price was just one dress and some jewellery. It was a small fee to pay in order to gain something much more valuable – certainty.

Without the glitz and glamour of good lighting and the cover of darkness, the leftovers of this grand celebration looked well, miserable.

Everything had to be in order for when the embassy opens its doors that morning and he made sure to stress that all leftovers should be delivered to Kirigakure to be distributed to the poorest. It was a course of action he took each year. It was the cheapest way to garner sympathy and ensure that Kirigakure's population supported the ruling layer.

What better way to fortify their control over the people than to offer them the illusion that the higher ups were not greedy, gluttonous capitalists who leeched off the nation's efforts.

Well, the previous Mizukage had indeed truly cared for the kingdom's welfare. The current one however…

Kisame inwardly cringed at the memory of his brief encounter with the ruler. He was but a child – irrational, shallow and violent. Not that Kisame particularly minded this reign of terror; he was simply unsure how sustainable it was going to be, and that is exactly why the Mizukage needed people like the mutated diplomat.

Even if the current Mizukage fell from grace, his position would remain stable. If he could convince the current brat that he's worth the time and money then the future Mizukage was going to be a piece of cake.

When Kisame had ensured that everything was flowing smoothly, that the entertainers had been paid and the cleaning team was already in motion, he determined it to be a good time to retreat upstairs to his office to change his attire and take a short nap before work truly began.

Well, not before downing a kettle of strong coffee.

He took the elevator up from the main lobby to his office, enjoying how hushed the embassy was. On any other time of the day it was always bustling with people and life, but for now Kisame was content with the fact that he could stretch in the elevator.

The man exited at the eighth floor and walked straight to his office, suppressing a jaw. While fetching his keys from his pocket, he made a mental note to send a message to his secretary to have coffee delivered right when he wakes up.

He turned the key, only to find the door already unlocked.

Out of instinct his eyes narrowed and Kisame braced himself, ready to leap at the intruder.

Kisame rushed in just to find Itachi in his office who looked uncharacteristically like himself, a rare sight indeed. It was easy to forget the man's true features when he covered them up every day of his life.

The diplomat grinned, "My-my Itachi, I was about to tackle you. Very unwise to leave the door open."

He walked to the other end of his office to a well hidden wardrobe. It was made to look like another panel in the wall, a secret compartment in its own way.

"You would be the only visitor here at this hour," reasoned the Uchiha. If he was tired, then he hid it well.

Kisame began changing, paying no mind to his partner as the black haired Uchiha was once again donning a disguise.

"What about a cleaning lady? You would have to kill the poor dame, what a mess it would make…" noted Kisame joyfully. He was strangely enough, in a good mood.

"The lobby takes priority, and your office was cleaned just yesterday."

It didn't surprise him that Itachi knew such specific details. In order to maintain his identities, it had become a necessity. Though Kisame had always wondered how Itachi differentiated between his various identities. They all came with their own personality and backgrounds…A real hassle to remember it all.

Yes, Kisame was thankful that he was only known as a diplomat. At least he didn't have to bother hiding his face.

He got a good look of his appearance from the mirror that was hung to the inside of the door – tall, muscular and…a mutant. Blue skin and gill-like scars made him look more like a shark than man. Perhaps hiding his face would be the kinder option.

Such thoughts had no room in Kisame's world, he had more pressing issues to deal with. He hung up the tuxedo and put on a freshly ironed shirt and a pair of dark grey pants.

"You invaded my office for another purpose besides cross-dressing, I presume?" he asked with a tinge of amusement in his voice and turned around while messing with a tie.

Itachi was in a well-tailored striped jacket and a black pencil skirt, a most comical sight for Kisame. Though he did have to admit, when Itachi bothered to leave his natural hair undone and donned on some makeup, stuffed a bra and wore a pair of heels, he looked quite good.

Ah yes, he loved those days. The sight became much more hilarious because of Itachi's natural stoicism. He seemed completely unfazed by the discomfort, or he had become used to it by now.

Kisame tried to stifle a laugh when Itachi took a seat upon the sofa to apply fake lashes and walked around the (wo)man to his desk to sit upon his personal throne.

"Yes," he replied casually while applying the second set of lashes, "Did you manage to draw something from her?"

Kisame felt regal sitting there with the sun rising behind him. He leaned back, exhaling his exhaustion, "I want to keep an eye on her. I got the irking feeling that she wasn't being…honest last night."

The diplomat studied the reaction of his partner, or lack thereof as Itachi buttoned up the jacket and stood up, brushing away specs of dust from his skirt. Damn, he would've made a fine woman in another world.

"I will let you know if I find anything. Let me know if you need help." He said flatly, stuffing the blonde wig from last night and the neatly folded white suit into a large bag.

Kisame smirked, "Uchiha, I am perfectly capable of dealing with one small adversary." And Kisame wasn't boasting. The Akatsuki was a small organisation, in terms of official and permanent members, but it was composed of some of the deadliest and most capable people in the world.

Itachi made his way across the room, heels dully thudding against the carpeted floor but Kisame wasn't done with the man yet. After all, it wasn't every week that Itachi decided to reveal himself two days in a row.

"You spoke with her last night. Knowing you Itachi, and I am a people person - You know very well whose daughter she is." He noted pointedly. Kisame had caught only a glimpse of their short conversation, but he was sure that it had been Itachi he saw and the diplomat was curious to hear about their exchange. Pity he hadn't installed enough lighting to read their lips from the cameras...

Kisame had learned quickly that while Itachi chose not to voice his opinions, the man often saw anything and everything. Contrary to some of the Akatsuki members, Itachi simply refrained from bragging with his knowledge. Most likely a habit the young man developed when he took up bartering with information.

Itachi halted, hand already on the door handle. His back was turned to the diplomat so Kisame didn't catch a glimpse of the rare smile that was on the man's face. For the first time in years there was a sliver of hope in his world.

"I disagree, she wouldn't make it in politics – too selfless."

Kisame chuckled and shook his head, unfazed by Itachi's assessment clashing with his own, "Sleep tight, Uchiha."

The disguised man left Kisame's office, looking back at his partner to offer him a curt nod, leaving the mutated Akatsuki member to his plotting (or in this case, napping).

Itachi was navigating through the maze of hallways with elegant precision.

Even if he had escaped from Kisame's constant scrutiny, it was far too early to utter the word 'safe'.

He headed straight to the garage to drive straight to one of his safe houses, well aware that the embassy was filled with cameras and it was unsafe to think about anything compromising in case it showed on his face.

Well, Kisame was going to edit him out of the footage most likely as he always did.

Shimotsuki Naoko, the name sounded natural on the tip of his tongue. There was no doubt that the silly girl had to be warned before she became a target, but it would take a little time to draw her personal e-mail and set up a secure line to deliver the message.

It was still too early to make personal contact. Too unsafe, he couldn't risk it yet, not while Kisame was so vigilant and set on his task.

* * *

 _He suspects the truth. Be careful._

* * *

 _April 5, 21.33_

Kakashi was seated on the sofa, brow furrowed in concentration, pondering over the facts that Naoko had just shared about last week. Meanwhile Naoko was pacing restlessly around the room, as she had been doing for the past fifteen minutes while trying to supress the urge to chew on her fingernails.

Truthfully, she would've preferred a proper workout, but Tsunade was still dead set that the pair took it easy. They hadn't shown signs of rejecting the artificial tissue and the Hokage stressed that the final stages of healing were most important to guarantee that the cells would achieve maximum levels of function.

So that's how she ended up with pacing around instead of ferociously stabbing a dummy.

"Why haven't you reported this?" he asked finally.

The redhead halted and threw her hands up in exasperation, "Oh and just to who would I report this? How a nameless information broker _sort of_ hinted that the Akatsuki is most likely involved and the most influential members of the Kirigakure embassy is also at fault!"

The summary gave Kakashi pause, "You never thought about taking it to ANBU?"

His partner began twiddling her thumbs once more, "No, I don't think a full-fledged investigation would be wise at this point. You were a member of ANBU once, would they even be of help?"

The soldier smiled humourlessly, "You know I am not allowed to talk about it."

ANBU, an elite branch of Konoha Military's Intelligence department. Practically independent from the rest of the military – They answered only to the Hokage and her advisors. Absolute secrecy concerning the ANBU's activities and role was practiced, which of course made it a popular career choice for any youngster who aimed for the Intelligence department.

Naoko sighed, "I'm not asking about the inner workings, what I want to know is would the matter be swept under a carpet or would they take it seriously."

Kakashi stood up and made his way to his partner, he gripped her shoulders while looking her straight in the eye. She was a little startled by the change of demeanour, Kakashi seemed sterner, yet the woman didn't flinch away from his grasp.

"If you choose to give the information to ANBU then you will never hear of this matter again. Are you ready to give up your leads and resume everyday life?"

And then Naoko realised that Kakashi was offering her a way out. If she turned her investigation in to ANBU then the matter and anything concerning it would be out of her hands. It might be that the matter is dealt with swiftly and quietly with no media coverage or they would deem Naoko's case one not worth investigating. There's no way to know with absolute certainty.

She could return back to teaching, and honing her pupils to bring out the best in them…And Kakashi, he would be right there with her and the only worries she would face would be concerning his tardiness.

There was no judgement in his eyes – Kakashi was leaving this decision entirely up to Naoko.

The possibility that she might never hear the truth about the Akatsuki, while she had barely scratched the surface.

What if…the notion was preposterous to her, but what if they succeeded in uncovering the truth? It would secure a stable future for both of them and perhaps it would be enough to wipe out the organisation entirely.

There really was only one option.

"No," she replied honestly, "I couldn't, not anymore."

For a second Kakashi seemed, for the lack of a better word, proud. The emotion vanished soon after and he let go of Naoko who felt relieved by the lack of contact.

"Alright," he concluded, guiding her back to the sofa, "Have you figured out your next move?" he asked as they sat down.

Out of habit Naoko sat on the very edge, her posture picture perfect while Kakashi was much more relaxed. Always the same dynamic, some things never changed.

"Well, seeing as we only have three leads – the broker, Kisame and Uchiha Itachi. I think that the latter is the most logical one to start with."

Kakashi seemed pleased with her assessment, "I agree. Brokers are nearly impossible to track, Hoshigaki is near untouchable right now, which only leaves us one final lead."

The redhead sighed, "What are Sasuke's parents like? Would they eradicate Itachi's entire existence from their home, or do you think they would leave his belongings untouched?"

"In public they may pretend their firstborn is dead to them, but…what are you hoping to gain?"

Naoko nodded, "If I could just swipe his computer's hard drive I'd be the luckiest girl in the world."

The idea left Kakashi sceptical, "Let's just assume for a moment that you indeed gain access to his computer, do you really think that he would be careless enough to leave anything traceable there?"

Not to mention that they would have to find a way to gain access to Itachi's room without getting caught in the act. Technically, they would be breaking privacy laws, but only if they got caught. If they had any substantial results then the slight might be overlooked, but that was a problem in the distant future.

Naoko shrugged, "It's worth a shot. We do not really know what transpired or how did he even find the Akatsuki in the first place…"

She released a shrill laugh, "Have I mentioned that we're just stumbling in the dark, grasping at straws?"

Kakashi smiled amicably, mock toasting her with his empty beer can, "Welcome to Intel."

"The exams are coming up in May, we could do a house visit to the Uchihas. No doubt Fugaku has a thing or two to say about Sasuke's future," she said, thinking out loud. Naoko had begun pacing back and forth in her living room again while a plan was beginning to form in her head.

"I mean, how big could their house be? One of us can slip away from the meeting or…not even show up and break in while the other keeps the family busy. It's still far away we have the entire month to plan this."

She seemed set and visibly relaxed now that matters, at least seemingly, were in order.

It was then that Kakashi realised that Naoko had grown up. Two years ago when he first met her, she was fresh out of the academy. Even now she was uptight and still had the habit of fussing over everything until it was perfect, but she wasn't a girl anymore.

No, in front of him was a full grown woman who was dead set on embarking on one of the most dangerous investigations that had no guarantee of anything substantial.

She had the choice to resume her uneventful life, yet decided to trample that distant dream to the ground. Because every soldier in Intel was like a junkie. Once they got a whiff of trouble brewing, they would be dead set on finding out anything and everything until all questions were answered.

"What are you smiling about?"

Kakashi jolted out of his ponderings to see Naoko staring down at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"Nothing," he waved away her concerns insouciantly, "So are we going to watch that movie or not?"

The question earned him a slap against his fingers, "Excuse me? We have our work cut out for us and you want to watch a movie?" she demanded, clearly irritated by Kakashi's visible lack of concern.

Actually he was quite overwhelmed, too exhausted to deal with it all tonight. It could wait, it _had_ to wait. Speaking about Rin and Obito had stirred feelings that had remained buried for years and with all the new variables that Naoko had spurred at him…

Once more he sat her down next to himself, "It can wait until tomorrow. Unless you want to go lurk around Sasuke's house right now, while intoxicated I might add."

She blinked a few times before breaking out into a series of giggles, "Could you imagine Sasuke's reaction?" she managed between chortling, "I think he'd begin to doubt his sanity."

Indeed, Kakashi didn't even want to picture the teenager's face if he noticed his two drunken instructors in his backyard…Any credibility to continue their investigation would be lost at that instance.

"Fine," agreed Naoko finally, "we'll watch the damn movie if you're so dead set on the idea, but only if you answer one question."

"Surprise me."

"You really would've let me to drop the case, just like that?"

Kakashi chuckled, "I would've picked it up myself."

They didn't settle on a horror movie though, choosing an Akasuna Sasori classic instead.

* * *

 **As always, thank you all for reading and thank you Davina and Akari for your feedback!**

 **This chapter was a bit shorter than usual, but it was mainly a necessary evil buffer chapter to set up the stage for future events. My extremely long break is nearing its end so I will try to write at least the first half of the next chapter by Sunday so hopefully the wait will not be disappointingly long for you.**

 **I hope you see a lovely cross-dressing Itachi in your dreams tonight~**


	7. It Runs in the Family

7\. It Runs in the Family

* * *

"When faced with two equally tough choices, most people choose the third choice: to not choose."  
― **Jarod Kintz** , **This Book Title is Invisible**

* * *

 _April 1, 5.30 PM_

For most people the first of April is a day for jesting – the matter of the quality of the jokes is irrelevant to the point, yet this time of the year Naoko always made sure to get a day off. For her this holiday represented the day her father's remains were returned to the family. Two years ago, as of today, marks the occasion when Shimotsuki Kino's body was returned to his family.

The soldier disappeared right here on Eden, just a few month before Naoko's graduation and acceptance to the military, only to have his body turn up on the first of April. Shot to the head, no signs of torture and no information about the motive for the crime.

Whatever resolve she had to investigate the Akatsuki was lying dormant for this one day. Today was about honouring the dead.

Time ceased to flow and she found herself reminiscing in places her father frequented – wearing a sweater in his favourite colour of emerald green, drinking a cup of his favourite coffee in a café early in the morning before taking a long walk around town.

This was a wound that had closed, yet each year Naoko found it being torn open once again. Only a few years had passed since her father's death, not nearly enough to put the matter at rest. Last year she had vowed to put an end to this, but when April was nearing she found herself entering a state of mourning once again.

And there she was, perched on a patch of grass in the cemetery and soaking up the remnants of the sun, with a copy of her father's favourite book on her side. On any other day this moment would be celebrated as an idyllic use of her vacation days.

Kino had been an old-fashioned man, preferring physical paperback copies of books and music. It was just after his death when Naoko finally realised the allure those books held – a physical remnant of her father. His hands had held this book, scanned the pages beyond count – this fragile pack of pages with ink blotches was her only _real_ connection with her father.

Naoko had been avoiding this moment for the entire day. She knew that his headstone was just a little further in the graveyard. It felt as if her father's eyes were fixed on her, just beckoning for his baby girl to come closer. The fact that a slab of stone and a now-rotten corpse could invoke so much discomfort from her was disheartening.

Shooting a man in the head was perfectly accomplishable, but taking a few extra steps to a grave was beginning to prove to be a real feat – the irony…

She had been postponing the actual visit the entire day. There are only so many hours that long walks and coffee cups can occupy. It was inevitable that this old hurt had to be torn open once more, to be bled just a little bit more in order for her to move on.

Move on to what? Accept the uncertainty and put her father's death to rest, despite not having any knowledge about his passing? He wasn't KIA, and a military captain wouldn't be killed in a dank alley way by a civilian with a pocket knife and no combat training. Soldiers were tougher than that…

It was truly ironic. One would think that working in Intel would provide a person with permanent enlightenment about matters – the world's biggest databases at the tip of her fingertips. Yet…No information about the Akatsuki or details about her father's death was quite enough to make Naoko's trust in the system falter.

The feeling of power was all a lie. She was still living in the dark with her ears muffled and a thick velvet scarf tied around her eyes and keeping her being basking in the false warmth. Offer comfort so she would never leave.

Minutes ticked by and every second felt like a lifetime. The young instructor wasn't sure what caused her to get up, but before Naoko managed to regain control over her legs, they had already taken her _there._

Hours of avoidance and procrastination, but now that she was finally standing in front of the grave it proved to be easy. Her rigid outer shell hid the little girl that was hiding inside - a silly naïve being who was dressed in her father's oversized sweater and carrying his books around as if they contained the holy word.

All day she had pondered and agonised over what to say and now all words had turned to ash. No combination seemed sufficient enough to convey the dull ache that was beating in her chest. Naoko felt her fingers clench tighter around the book, as if the pulp of dead wood could offer her some comfort or courage.

"Mom is doing fine. Though I think we are mutually avoiding one another for today."

The first four words were out. That's what she believed would interest her father the most. When was her mother coming for a visit?

"The Kingdoms are still at peace; my team is in one piece. We ran into some trouble on a mission, but I can't discuss this here. Though I would love to hear your opinion on matters, because I am running into brick walls here."

She wouldn't cry and didn't felt the need to. Naoko had mourned and cried enough for one lifetime, there was no point to start wailing now. As the words started tumbling out it became easier to speak – all she had to was visualise her father sitting there like he used to.

"I mean…I'm trying to tackle something that's way over my head with just Kakashi on my side. Don't get me wrong, he's amazing, but this thing is bigger than any of us and there's not even much to go on…" Naoko looked down and stifled a laugh, "Sorry, forgetting your teachings – There's always something to go on; I'm just too blind to see it."

"You would like Kakashi, I think. He takes good care of his comrades, though he likes to pretend nonchalance. Absolutely brilliant in battle as well...He is, well…"

Naoko jumped when her ringtone disrupted the moment of peace. In her haste to silence the phone she dropped Kino's book on the ground, stopping her fumbling only when she saw the caller ID. Speak of the devil and he calls.

The redhead took a calming breath before answering, trying to sound cheerful. "Hey, what's up?"

She heard Kakashi sigh on the other end, "There's no need to get giddy. How are you?"

Of course her partner would remember this date. No doubt he had some elaborate prank planned to mess with their rookies, but the increase in his daily workload was most likely enough to serve as a reminder.

"I am…" Naoko's eyes trailed to the headstone and the letters carved into it. This was life – nothing stops with the death of one person. The gears will keep on spinning; even if Shimotsuki Kino is stuck in time then his daughter had no such luxury.

 _Until next year, dad._

She leaned down to pick up the book from the ground and turned away, walking briskly further from the grave before another change of heart.

"I am alright, thank you for calling."

"There's no need to pretend, Naoko, are you alright?" he insisted. Naoko knew that if she deflected his worry one more time then Kakashi would stop prying.

Yet there was nothing to avoid this time. Her chest still ached, but poking and prodding at the hurt wasn't going to make it go away any faster so there was no point to discuss it. "Really," she insisted, "I am serious as well. I feel okay, as good as one can feel in such a situation."

His relief was almost palpable over the phone and his tone lightened up considerably, "That's…good to hear. So hey, how about we meet for drinks? Unless you want to be alone tonight."

Naoko welcomed the distraction with open arms. At this point anything would beat sulking home alone over a bottle of cheap red wine.

"Sure," she agreed, "but I have some errands to run first." By errands Naoko meant changing out from her dead father's artefacts so the illusion of sanity would still be present. Not to mention it would make things unnecessarily awkward for both parties involved.

No, the day for mourning was nearing its end.

"Skelter's Den at nine?" he offered casually, as if the place was as familiar to him as Ichiraku was for Naruto.

That drew a cheerful bout of laughter from Naoko, "Well-well, since when did you start hanging out at underground clubs?"

"As of now, apparently. I saw an advertisement twenty feet back, it sounded like an alcohol serving establishment."

The redhead couldn't contain her smile. How typical of the man, to make up plans on the spot. It was helping her connect with reality again, and if it means drinking her grief away then she couldn't care less about their destination.

"Well, you're thoughtful as ever," said the woman charmingly, "I'll see you then."

"Take care." She heard him say before hanging up. Naoko stuffed the phone back into her pocket and, out of habit, took a quick look around, spotting only an old man trudging along the same path as her, moving slowly as he dragged his feet. It was drilled into their head every day in the academy – to always observe one's surroundings. Mark any escape routes, weaknesses, possible weapons, suspects, civilians – all this had to be achieved with one quick look.

On the battlefield there is no time to be mesmerised or unprepared.

There was still about two hours left, plenty of time to head home and change her outfit into something more pleasing to the eye.

Naoko quickened her pace, relaxing slightly only when the cemetery's gates were left behind her. Being alone in a desolate place was uncomfortable…That's how people get targeted, after all.

The streets were bustling with people, no doubt eager to get home after a long day of hard work. She ducked and dodged their shoulders, skilfully making her way through the throngs of people and ducking into a nearby alleyway for a shortcut to the station.

When she was halfway through then Naoko allowed herself another glance over the shoulder, only to see the same old man. He was still some distance away, but the fact that the same man who had struggled to maintain a relaxed pace had caught up with the soldier was alerting enough.

Naoko's hand slowly reached into her bag, replacing the book that she was holding with a gun instead. She turned around, gripping the gun behind her back. The trouble that might arise if this is in fact just a mere civilian…But her gut feeling wouldn't let up, especially after the broker's warning. Could this be an agent of the Akatsuki, sent after her?

The proposition seemed unreasonably impossible. She had only discussed the matter with the broker, Tsunade-sama and Kakashi, and in secure locations. There's no way they would've found out anything! Not to mention the Akatsuki wouldn't even target her. She was being paranoid at this point.

But this man was clearly not who he pretended to be.

The elder wasn't dragging his feet any more, instead he walk straight towards her with his back erect. Naoko noticed that his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his coat and out of instinct drew her weapon. Strange how much comfort a piece of plastic can provide a lone woman.

"Hands where I can see them!" she called out. This day she may be a daughter in mourning, but civilian clothes were not enough to make the soldier disappear.

He followed her orders, slowly taking his hands out from the coat pocket with his palms turned towards her, "I suggest you put it away, Shimotsuki Naoko, before someone witnesses you threaten an unarmed, old man. Causing another scandal is unwise."

Naoko's gaze didn't waver even for a moment and her muscles tensed at the mention of her name. "In case you didn't notice, we're in an alleyway. Now tell me who sent you and what do you want with me."

Reason had not abandoned her and a few polite words were not enough to make her lower her guard. It was clear enough that this may well be a disguise, and a well-planned one at that. An onlooker would only see a skirmish between a respectful elder and a girl in her twenties; no doubt the octogenarian would garner more sympathy.

"I am not your enemy. Last time we met you witnessed me as a young blonde man in a white suite. Now stop scowling, Shimotsuki."

The familiar wording made Naoko remove her finger from the trigger. "Broker." She acknowledged him finally. "Hard to distinguish you from a crowd, when you keep changing faces." Noted the soldier dryly, though her displeasure seemed to bounce right off the man.

"A necessity. Revealing my identity would be unwise."

Just like back in the embassy, his manner of speaking was polite and strangely void of any feeling or bias. Only this time instead of looking like prince charming, the man's face was marred with countless of wrinkles that spread like spider webs.

"Yet now I know for sure that those two are not truly you."

"Do you?" he asked pointedly, sounding almost amused. The corners of his eyes crinkled when his lips twitched into a small smirk, but they disappeared quickly.

Naoko aimed another deliberative look at the broker before lowering her pistol and returning it to her bag. He seemed to be unarmed and she was fairly confident in her abilities to best a man in hand-to-hand combat...and she did have an army knife strapped to her ankle.

"How did you find me?" She asked, directing the conversation to a more practical angle. There was no point in wasting her time and running in circles just to amuse the broker.

"You're asking all the wrong questions." He remarked, causing a surge of anger in Naoko. She was in no mood for chit-chat, but at least this encounter would save her the trouble of looking for him. That's one lead off her hit list of three possible roads.

Wait…

"How can I find you again?" she asked, turning the question around instead. True, the broker's intentions, identity and loyalty were all unknown variables in the current equation. After all, information brokers were fickle in nature and her broker's eagerness to sell out the Akatsuki could end up with him feeding the organisation valuable information about her investigation and motives.

This question seemed to suit the broker better, "I'll provide you with the necessary means, eventually."

"Then why corner me here today? Unless this is an ambush?"

A well placed shot or a heavy rock from the rooftops would be enough to finish her. Had the broker been sent here to divert her attention?

As if he sensed her unease the broker walked over to her, "Come, it's too easy for someone to eavesdrop." She tensed at his proximity, ready to dodge a knife or throw a punch at any second. They waked side by side in silence, until they reached the end of the alley and joined the slow trail of people.

"I had to verify that you're truly Kino's daughter," he said quietly, so only Naoko could hear his words.

"What has my father got to do with this?" She asked, her heart fluttering in her chest in anticipation. The broker may be untrustworthy as an ally, but if he knew any details about the circumstances of her father's demise then she was more than ready to buy the information off him.

"Everything, but this isn't the right place or time."

They were heading to the train station, taking the stairs underground. Naoko's fists clenched and she had a hard time biting back a snarl. As of now it seemed like the broker was there just to agitate her.

"If you know who killed him, or even why, then I'm willing to pay."

They had to part for a moment to get through the terminal gates when validating tickets and for a moment Naoko was panicked, thinking that the broker might use this chance to slip away from her grasp, but he appeared by her side soon after.

"You don't have the necessary funds, but it is not money I wish from you in exchange for information."

The broker led the way, heading towards Naoko's platform. By now she wasn't even surprised that he would know where she lived.

"What do you want then?" She asked, glancing at the billboard. Her train was just three minutes away - too little time to make any substantial progress with this man. With Kakashi three minutes was enough to cover world history.

"Your cooperation. Despite my profession, I am not without ulterior motives."

Naoko had to hold back an exasperated sigh, "I don't need vague answers."

"Quite the contrary, this is a straightforward offer. My intelligence and cooperation for your services to achieve a mutual goal."

All this secrecy and foreplay just for this moment. A simple offer that could've been settled back in the alleyway. Naoko didn't have a response straight away. The offer was dodgy and full of loopholes and variables that had to be taken into account, but most likely this would be her best chance.

"Why me?" she asked. As cliché as the question sounded, the thought was bothering the redhead. Why would the broker make contact with her personally and go through all this trouble?

"So you could finish what Kino started and couldn't finish."

She was glad that they were standing, instead of walking, because Naoko would've tripped over her feet and land flat on her face. The noise of departing trains and the crowd seemed to dim into the distance as Naoko was overwhelmed. The old wound was being ripped open again.

Start what her father couldn't finish. Was he digging into Akatsuki? What did he find? Were there any records left? There had to be. A man that loved books and everything antique almost religiously would surely have his investigation put on paper.

Just…where? If such records even exist.

"I understand you're grieving today. Take some time to think about my offer." She heard his words, but the meaning barely registered.

Like a shadow, the broker stood behind her as the train was nearing her stop, slowly removing his presence and melting into the background. It didn't occur to Naoko until later that he could've pushed her in front of the arriving train.

Perhaps this would have to serve as proof that he wasn't out to kill her. At least not for now.

* * *

 _8.14 PM_

Even hours later Naoko was still in a daze. It was as if she was hypnotised, moving only because some program was moving her mechanical limbs for her. The address for Skelter's den was punched into her phone and she relied on the GPS to get her there.

Well, it seemed like Kakashi's lack of punctuality was rubbing off on her. But she got so carried away rummaging through her father's books and some of the stuff that was still in her apartment. Most of Kino's belonging had been moved back to her mother's house.

It dawned to her that she had arrived only when she heard the dark treble of hard bass reverberating. It didn't take long to spot Kakashi, dressed all in black with the mask covering his face. Even in his spare time Kakashi chose to conceal his face.

She made it over to him, stuffing her phone into her pocket and trying to mask her inner turmoil with pleasantries. It could all be postponed. Tonight she was going to do shots until the broker was off her mind.

Naoko barely recognised herself today - general tardiness, running amok with no clear plan - this was not like her at all. Frankly, she couldn't wait to return her usual life that was organised, clear-cut and _certain_.

It was clear that something was up the moment Kakashi opened his mouth.

"Well, I thought you got hit by a bus. It's unlike you to be late." Said Kakashi casually, after a short fit of coughs. Naoko's eyes narrowed suspiciously at his behaviour and for the first time she allowed a glance over her shoulder.

In her stupor she hadn't paid much mind to her surroundings, besides staying out of the way of cars. The first impression wasn't enough to make her ponderings and worries disappear, but this blunder from Kakashi was enough to throw her into a fit of laughter. Oh, she was never going to let the captain forget this mistake. Never ever.

The front of the club was littered with smokers, but that wasn't the point. Their attire was what drew her attention – black leather, chains and piercings, cross dressers, you name it. Quite sexy actually…But only one club would have such an interesting dress code.

"Of all the bars in the world," she managed to gasp between laughs, leaning heavily on a light pole, "You find us a fetish club?"

Kakashi, trying to look unfazed in this situation rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "April's fools?" he tried, albeit unsuccessfully to turn the situation in his favour.

"Weak, Kakashi, miserably weak. Could you imagine if Gai were to find out?" She snorted at Kakashi's visible look of horror.

"Please don't." he said with genuine horror in his voice. The instructor in a green suit was a handful enough for Kakashi during business hours - make no mistake, Gai was absolutely brilliant and a worthy rival for Kakashi, yet the man had proven to be...eccentric.

After several more chortles, Naoko managed to get it together enough to straighten up and smack Kakashi, "Hey, I'm here to drink, doesn't matter where we do it." She said with feigned jolliness, trying to make light of the situation.

"Wait, you want to stay?" he asked, eyebrow raised. No doubt Kakashi was more than ready to go somewhere quieter, but Naoko grabbed his wrist before he could plot an escape.

"Hell yeah, come on, this could be so much fun. You've even got a mask an everything, we can pretend to be master an slave." She said, dragging him eagerly to the entrance and down the dark winding stairs.

Kakashi glanced up as if in prayer, "I'm going to pretend you just did not say that." But she did notice that he was smiling under the mask, probably biting back laughter.

The redhead grinned, "Exactly, one more reason to get wasted."

She stopped during their ascent and looked up to the man with a weak smile, "I'm glad you called, and invited me here. Now please, play along and get drunk with me?"

The broker, her father - it could all wait until tomorrow. A few more hours of obliviousness wasn't going to destroy Kakashi. They could discuss it all in the morning over a cup of coffee and a healthy dose of pain medicine.

As of late it seemed like Naoko was refraining from relaying news to Kakashi. Always she procrastinated, but the moment was never right. There's no way that she's going to keep on leaving him in the dark...yet how often was it that Kakashi could just relax, open up to someone and go grab a drink? She just couldn't bring herself to ruin this for him, or for her.

Naoko was desperately craving the distraction and all sense of duty went flying right out of the window. To abandon reason once a year - it isn't that unreasonable.

For now, the pair disappeared into the warm comfort of black leather gloves and cheap vodka shots. Skelter's Den was a pleasantly welcoming place, adorning Naoko with a chain around her neck and fishnet tights by the end of the night.

* * *

 **Pardon for taking this long! University has been taking up the bulk of my time, especially now that I'm getting more and more IT subjects that are simply devouring my attention (damn you Python 3).**

 **I made a few alterations to the earlier chapters, revealing some information about Naoko that I was hoarding to myself for the time being, but thanks to Razhenshia pointing it out – the relationship between Itachi and Naoko wasn't making much sense. Luckily there is still time to mend this (which I did) :) On a side note, I usually keep editing the chapters after posting them, so I apologise if things don't add up. It may be that I've actually missed something, or I simply added something to the earlier chapters.**

 **Davina also asked what does the title of this story mean. Zugzwang is a state in chess when the opponent knows that defeat is inevitable – whatever move they would make will still lead to a checkmate.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for all the favourites, alerts and reviews. Don't be a stranger to point out the good, the bad and the ugly! I'm always open for suggestions to improve this story. Until next time!**

 **Lilyholics**


	8. Away

8\. Away

* * *

"You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it."  
― **Alan Moore** , **V for Vendetta**

* * *

 _April 2, 7.05 AM_

Despite having the hangover of the century, Naoko was up and fussing about. A cold shower was enough to clear her head and quench the lingering scent of whiskey that stubbornly clung to her breath that morning.

She swore never to drink again in the middle of the week before downing a glass of carbonated water and donning her perfectly ironed uniform that had just been returned from dry cleaning. To the untrained eye, Naoko looked pristine as she did every day. Thank god that headaches weren't visible.

A sense of dread overtook her as soon as Naoko's mind regained the ability of coherent thought.

Kakashi still had no idea what had transpired before they met up. He was _still_ perched in the dark, and the more she postponed it the harder it became to share the truth and the knowledge made her anxious about facing him. No doubt he was somewhere in that tiny flat.

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi was still sound asleep, sprawled carelessly on the living room sofa, although Naoko didn't let the innocent scene lull her into ignorance. No doubt Kakashi was still somewhat alert, always ready to spring into action. It was his visual aloofness that had saved his skin more than once.

The man stirred, although Naoko seriously doubted that he was even truly asleep, when she started rattling around the kitchen. She laid out some breakfast items for a quick sandwich and found two identical cups, placing everything on the counter in a perfectly symmetrical shape in some weak effort to calm herself.

He sat up, taking notice of Naoko's nervous fidgeting before sighing, "There's something you wish to tell me."

The words made her movement halt, everything was still, save for the water coming to a boil in the kettle. How come her feelings were so transparent to the man, or perhaps Kakashi was just guessing.

Naoko smiled, casting her eyes downwards, "Indeed, yesterday was not really the time and place."

Perhaps her partner already assumed the significance of the information that she was keeping to herself intuitively, which made his apparent lack of irritation or disappointment surprising. Instead he got up, the face of tranquillity, and took a seat behind the counter, "Well, it can wait until after coffee."

That was all it took to defuse the tension. It never ceased to amaze her how…for the lack of a better word, easy it was to communicate with the man. She would need Kakashi to school her a bit, teach her to control her body language better, even when not painfully aware.

"Last night was fun." She said, in all honesty. The mishap with the club, the drinking and the people they met – it was exhilaratingly fun. Naoko dropped some coffee cubes to both of the cups before pouring hot water over them.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, accepting the steaming cup that Naoko offered him, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think both of us needed that."

He pulled down his mask to sip the caffeinated bliss and Naoko's eyes were instantly drawn to him. Just why the soldier didn't dazzle the enemy with his looks was beyond her. Feature chiselled to perfection and a personality to make it too good to be true.

"Are you listening?"

Naoko jolted out of her daydreams, flustered, blinking rapidly a few times as if the gesture would clear her head, "Excuse me?" she asked with an innocent smile. If Kakashi knew what she was thinking about, which he usually did, then he was politely concealing his knowledge.

He took another sip before slathering some butter on a piece of toast and piling ham and tomatoes on top, "What did you wish to discuss?"

The redhead supressed the urge to wiggle in her chair and forced her hands to lie on her lap limply, "I got an offer of…cooperation of sorts from a source that's…Well he is a bit untraditional."

Kakashi seemed nonchalant about it, popping the pills Tsunade prescribed them one after another. His silence felt like a beckoning to continue. Level-headed as he was, Kakashi would not react before he knew every factor.

"The information broker that approached me at the ball found me again – short story short he wishes to cooperate. I think he used to sell intel to my father, his exact words were – So you could finish what Kino started…I think my father might've been investigating the Akatsuki."

Her partner studied Naoko with curiosity, "And what if he sells us out?" he asked, forcing her to analyse the situation.

"Well if those were his intentions then why go through the trouble of seeking me out in the first place? He could've just sold us both out without taking the risk of meeting me in person, not once but _twice._ "

"Didn't it cross your mind that he was just confirming suspicions about your motives?" asked the man between bites. Naoko hadn't even touched her coffee, let alone prepare any breakfast. She made a mental note to do so later – skipping meals would affect her cognitive functions and she had to be in top shape.

Naoko crossed her arms across her chest defensively, "Of course it did, but what if this is the real deal? Do you know how much information he might have?" she barked, only solidifying her decision.

Kakashi raised his finger, "Exactly, _might._ I'm asking is it worth the risk?"

There was nothing to ask. Naoko had probably decided last night, this situation was merely confirming her feelings.

"I'd be an idiot to pass this up. I will at least meet with him and see what I can learn." The strength and determination that Kakashi had witnessed a little while ago returned to her eyes. No doubt the military uniform aided the 'iron lady' appearance. The silver haired man chuckled and grasped her shoulder, "'I'? You really think that I will let you walk into this on your own?"

Naoko's hand trailed upwards and her fingers curled around Kakashi's hand as she smiled, "Well, I was about to invite you anyway, but sure, you can crash the party this time. I mean…this course of action has so many loopholes and basically _everything_ can go wrong, but this is a one in a million chance."

"Just tell me when and where."

Her heart was allowed to slow down to a healthy rhythm once more. Everything was fine, she had once again estimated Kakashi to overreact. Not to mention that his support meant the world to Naoko. To have a superior backing up her beliefs and course of action was momentous. For that brief idyllic morning, she felt safe. This man sitting across her made her feel protected, as if nothing could go wrong.

* * *

In fact the pair didn't have to hold their breath for too long. One week was all that Itachi needed to set up a few secure locations without the ambassador sniffing it out. Kisame's constant vigilance was the bane of his existence and the man could smell a lie like shark could sense blood in the water.

To be fair, they got along quite harmonically compared to some of the other members, but there was never any trust between the two.

In the Akatsuki every man was out for themselves, despite their cooperation – a betrayal could create a ripple effect that would be enough to wipe out the small leadership of ten.

Kisame valued only two things in life – his position and life, hence his caution towards Itachi. Much to his luck there hadn't been a need for them to meet this week, which allowed him to invite the Shimotsuki girl to meet with him.

It was midday, just in time for lunch, yet the blinds were closed. Itachi sat in total darkness, not that it made much difference in his eyes, waiting. His disguise was much more simplistic this time around as he was still contemplating whether or not to reveal his identity to the pair. He was so used to hiding and concealing that it felt foreign to have his natural features so visible to the naked eye.

Yes, he was aware that there was someone else coming with Naoko. A partner, a friend, perhaps even a lover based on his observations, but this was irrelevant to the situation. What Itachi did acknowledge was Kakashi's value as a resource and a soldier. The man was legendary after all, and had somehow managed to obtain an Uchiha bionic eye.

Explaining the situation, explaining himself and revealing his name might evoke trust or alternatively turn the pair against him. The latter was debatable. Itachi had all the necessary proof with him and he was betting his life on the possibility, that the two soldiers are as analytical as an Intel agent should be.

He checked the time, only to discover that they were running two minutes late. Only to be expected, but it made him uneasy the same. The possibility of betrayal was mutual, although there was a potential for symbiosis. They needed his intelligence, while Itachi was in dire need of allies, someone he could trust…and those two were fiercely loyal to Konoha. He could use that to garner some sympathy.

Two knives, one pistol and a bit of poison were currently on the man, he did a quick count just before a knock resonated through the apartment. After a pause, the person knocked another two times before opening the door.

Itachi didn't move from the stale armchair he was sitting in, his gaze flickering between the redhead and the false bionic. His eyes slid over the pair – Kakashi managed to appear relaxed, but there was some excess tension in Naoko's shoulders.

"Were you followed?" asked Itachi. Not that it mattered much. If they were followed, then the three of them would be dead anyway. Or the two of them, at least – he could lie his way out of this.

Kakashi shook his head, "No, we're alone."

 _Unless you brought someone._

Those words, while not uttered were hanging above their heads ominously. Naoko to Itachi's right, while Kakashi took his left – together they formed a front against him.

Itachi did his best to ignore the display of caution, trust was earned through time and he had to take a leap of faith. This representation of their apprehension and distrust was enough to convince Itachi that the possibility of allies was worth it. Those two would never trust a nameless stranger, but a comrade?

It had worked with Kunisada Kino, why not on his daughter? And it seemed that Naoko was the leading cause in this case.

"Excellent. Time is short and there is only one thing I wished to discuss today to ensure mutual trust."

Trust – what a foreign word it felt. Itachi wanted to roll it around just a little bit more, but there were more dire matters.

The corner of Naoko's mouth twitched in amusement, "Trust is a little far-fetched. I'd aim for 'Not about to stab in the back' for starters." She was more than happy that Kakashi was accompanying her. Alone it would've been harder to keep a constant watch on the broker.

Itachi glanced briefly in her direction before standing up, simultaneously aware of Kakashi's position. "Names are a sure way to ease mistrust. Mine, however, can't be revealed without certain evidence."

He walked around the armchair, never exposing himself to a direct assault and reaching into his bag. The movement caused Naoko to reach for her gun. Itachi straightened up slowly, his hands raised as a sign of peace and he stepped away from the bag, his back against the wall. A disadvantageous position to be in. Too many openings and nothing to use for cover.

Instead of Naoko he turned to Kakashi, "There is a file and I suggest you read it without bias. It's authentic."

Though Itachi would've preferred that no guns were pointed towards him at that crucial moment, but one can only hope. Kakashi moved with grace only animals possess – soundless, calculated and effortless. The silver haired man indeed found the brown envelope in question that held one of Konoha's most well-guarded secrets.

A physical copy of the orders was a stroke of genius from the third Hokage – paper materials are considered archaic and most would not even think to look for them.

Kakashi's brow furrowed as he flipped through the files, the expression drew Naoko's attention, "What is it?" she asked. Itachi remained impassive, listless, waiting for the situation to unfold and resolve itself.

"This can't be right…" he mumbled before chuckling, "No, this is as brilliant as it is stupid."

Naoko grew impatient and holstered her weapon, marching across the room and snatching the file from Kakashi, skimming through the pages just as her mentor had before her. These files were several years old, still from the third Hokage's era that ended quite recently with his death.

 _Infiltrate…destroy from the inside…obtain trust…gather intelligence about members, locations, branches…leadership…find the leader…discover the identity and exact location of leader…head base…_

Signed by the third Hokage, with his seal right there to prove it. Infiltration orders signed to…

Uchiha Itachi.

The two intel agents exchanged a glance, filled with equal amounts of disbelief and shock. This was possibly the delicious scandal any reporter would die for.

"Oh…well, shit."

* * *

 **Thank you for your patience, dear reader and I hope you enjoyed this chapter (in its current form, no doubt I'll edit it again tomorrow...I'm so sleepy I must've missed something vital). To Davina – I am absolutely flattered that you are so invested into this and I promise you, I am not abandoning this story. I write whenever school and my hobbies allow me to.**

 **Well, technically I should be studying right now, but I really wanted to update again. The feeling is right and I** _ **really**_ **wanted my golden trio to finally meet up and get something done! This is where the story will get tricky…Like always I know what it's about and I know how it ends. I just need to make it there :D**

 **Until next time (which is hopefully soon)**

 **Lilyholics**


	9. Sting

9\. Sting

* * *

"You must remember, my dear lady, the most important rule of any successful illusion: First, the people must want to believe in it."  
― **Libba Bray** , **The Sweet Far Thing**

* * *

 _April 10, 6.13 PM_

"This is…a little public, don't you think?" asked Naoko, brown eyes flickering around doubtfully. Military training had provided her with a questionably healthy amount of paranoia – anyone could be a spy of the Akatsuki. The local, yet popular, restaurant was immensely crowded – the movement rate of a waitress was determined by the size of their waist. This was most likely why Itachi picked this spot to meet, it also proved nearly impossible to catch every detail.

She barely recognised him – the disguise of choice for the day was a brunette businessman with some grey streaks in the short strands of hair. To a bystander this might've seemed like a dinner between a parent and his daughter. The thought sent a pang of guilt through Naoko's stomach.

This man who called himself Itachi smiled in a fatherly manner, "You know how to control your body language, Shimotsuki. There's nothing to worry about, for now."

Naoko held back a snort, the look didn't suit the notorious killer at all, "You need to learn how to smile," shot back the soldier. She stubbornly leaned back in the chair and leafed through the menu absentmindedly, "it doesn't reach your eyes. People will look away from a face like that."

"Are you labelling me a sociopath?" he asked without skipping a beat, sounding almost genuinely amused.

A smile grazed her lips and Naoko raised her eyes to meet Itachi's lensed blue irises, "I doubt your heart rate ever goes above sixty, so a sociopath by choice," and with that her pool of small talk had run dry, "but I know you didn't drag me out here to talk about you."

He met her gaze head on, "Indeed, but one last question before we deal with more urgent matters?"

She shrugged, "Ask away." There wasn't much point in declining, it's not like she was in a hurry. A part of her wanted to know this man and befriend him, but Itachi was so accustomed to closing himself off that it was oddly difficult to establish mutual ground with him.

"How's Sasuke doing?"

There was a strain in his voice; Naoko's ears caught it right away, despite his best efforts to hide it. A feeling of urgency, mixed with a healthy amount of curiosity…so there was indeed a way to get a rise out of Itachi, but something held the redhead back from pointing it out. This man had missed nearly six years of his brother's life…precious time that can never be recovered.

"He's…" her voice trailed off before Naoko continued with a smile decorating her features, "he's absolutely brilliant. Top of his class, just like you were. He's perhaps a little rough around the edges," was her answer, entirely truthful.

Itachi met her with absolute serenity and a small smile had crept on his lips, a genuine one. It shone through the layers of plastic that covered his face and reached his eyes and for the first time Naoko caught a glimpse of just how beautiful he could be.

"Good," was his only verbal acknowledgement, and the moment vanished as his features set back to the mask of politeness that Itachi had grown so accustomed to wear, "What worries me is Kakashi's tardiness." He slinked back to business as easily as a weasel.

Naoko smirked, "You'll get used to it, he'll be here. I'm getting dinner while we wait." Truthfully Naoko couldn't figure out just how was it humanly possible to be late every single time. Unless he was attacked, which would be worrisome.

It was hard to discern if Itachi was irritated, disappointed or uncaring about the matter, but he remained silent while Naoko waved over a waitress and ordered a plate of honeyed scorpions. Her eyes kept returning to Itachi, wondering what kind of a person is hiding under those features. What did he dislike? Did he have any strange habits like eating apples with the core?

Perhaps he had scraped it all away after going undercover. How much of Itachi was still left? Trackers loved patterns and repetitive actions, in order to remain hidden and anonymous he'd have to hide everything.

It took her a few seconds to understand that Itachi was looking right back at her.

"What?" she asked defensively at Itachi's peering eyes, "I might as well try something weird while I'm here!" exclaimed the soldier defensively.

Silence settled between the pair while they waited, the sound of chatter nearly suffocating them both. Naoko leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms across her chest, "Since we're being honest I have to ask - how much of this is your doing?" Finally Naoko had gathered the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing her from the inside for days, ever since learning Itachi's identity.

The man being interrogated raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to be more specific." He said with the utmost tranquillity, causing Naoko's eyebrow to twitch.

"Did you know that I was Kino's daughter beforehand? Did you pull some strings to make sure that Kakashi and I would be sent to Earth? This seems like a really…opportune coincidence."

Her face remained polite throughout the sentence, though her tone had taken a cold edge. Sure, Itachi was under official orders from Konoha, but that didn't make him trustworthy. Trust is earned, who is to say that he wasn't going to throw her under the bus with Kakashi? Years can change people and one man's will isn't unbreakable.

She was met with silence from across the table, "Well?" she demanded firmly, hands still frozen in the same defensive position, as if it would make her seem more assertive.

"Naturally I keep an eye on my brother; therefore I knew who you were beforehand and when your mission was taking place. I pretended to receive a tip from the broker and volunteered to take the job."

His answer was truthful, and very carefully measured out. Each word held weight and thought behind it as Naoko listened patiently, her lips pursued. He gave her the bare minimum necessary to answer the question, no more or less.

"Why? You weren't there in person to contact us, so it was far-fetched that an alliance could be born out of the ordeal and there was a real chance of injuring your brother. Was it worth the risk?"

Naoko regretted her last remark as soon as it flew from her lips. It was an unnecessary jab, like rubbing salt on a wound. Suddenly the clattering of dishes sounded a lot more distant as tension between them grew and strained the air close to the breaking point.

"Keeping him safe was your job. My job is to complete the task given to me by the third Hokage, so please keep your criticism relevant."

It was hard to believe that this was the same man that had smiled so gently just minutes ago. Anger and disappointment was veiled by an iron mask that obscured everything from the outside world. Naoko could only guess what was going through his head at that moment. Just then the waitress arrived with her dinner, but she found herself lacking an appetite.

She stared at the black mass of food on the plate before sighing, a little empathy was not too much to ask from her, "You're right…I'm-," but Naoko's sentence was cut short when her eyes caught sight of Kakashi entering the restaurant. The woman wanted to groan – the man who's always late also chooses the worst time to show up. Kakashi found them with ease and walked straight to them, manoeuvring through the mass of people with startling precision.

Apologies had to be postponed until later. Naoko had been with Kakashi long enough to know that teamwork was imperative for the success of this mission. They would have to learn to synchronise and establish trust to…make it out alive.

Kakashi took one look at the scorpions and cast the same look, a mixture of disgust, amusement and bewilderment, towards Naoko who snorted, "Not you too. Where's your sense of adventure. Sit down so we could get this over with." She snapped and moved over in the booth to let Kakashi sit down. He cast a benevolent look at Itachi, "Pardon my tardiness, there was a bridge collapse so I was forced to take the long way here."

Naoko had to bite back a groan, literally, opting to shove a spoonful of the scorpions to her mouth. She noticed both men studying her as she crunched the sweet mass and swallowed, brown eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

"It's…tastier than it looks." She admitted finally before shaking her head frantically, "Okay, we're all here. How are we tackling this?"

Kakashi was first to speak up, "I think Naoko and I should get an extended order for your mission. Inform Tsunade about your mission, it'll possibly give us more freedom, better resources…"

Itachi nodded firmly, "Agreed, and after that I propose that we use Naoko as bait." The preposition was so straightforward that Naoko hadn't even managed to process Itachi's words before her partner spoke up.

Naoko felt the temperature drop several degrees as Kakashi's voice resonated in their little cubicle, "Your grand plan is to sacrifice her?" he asked coldly.

The other man remained unfazed, opting for logic, "Hoshigaki is already interested in her. Let her investigate the broker, ask Kisame for help and feed him the illusion that he is corrupting Naoko to garner trust."

"The ambassador…he did tell me that I'd be good at politics," mumbled Naoko out loud. Itachi wasn't wrong with his approach, it was all that they had for the time being. Had that suggestion been bait? What was Hoshigaki Kisame thinking…

Itachi nodded, affirming the idea that was forming in all of their heads, "You pretend to betray the military and be under Kisame's influence, your worth would be guaranteed by your relationship with Hatake. Inside information about Konoha's Intelligence branch is valuable and hard to obtain."

"He's unpredictable, so if this is the way you want to go," asked Kakashi while casting Naoko a meaningful look, "then I suggest we take this slowly. Let it simmer. Loyalty to the military is hard to break and he knows it. One misstep and he'll see through you right away."

"Which is why it has to be Naoko. You, Kakashi, have already made a name and a career for yourself," explained Itachi. Once Kakashi had brushed his initial emotions aside it was clear that Itachi had approached the situation from a completely tactical viewpoint.

Kakashi agreed from the standpoint of a captain, but worried as a friend. It was the best course of action they had for now. Itachi had managed to run himself into a dead end where he was too far in the Akatsuki to take it down on his own.

Naoko sat up straight in an effort to seem more assertive, "But that's what allures him, no? I'm not stupid, I know I seem, and probably am, idealistic and loyal. Itachi, you know him best…Sure, he'll see this as a challenge, but what do you think he will plan to do with me?"

The broker rested his arms on the table, fingers crossed in front of him elegantly, "It's possible that he'll aim to merely gain another puppet, but he'll kill you on the moment he senses anything strange."

Kakashi rubbed a gloved hand over his chin, "That's no use to us, taking down only the ambassador is the same as cutting off a lizard's tail. Is there a way to get her closer to the Akatsuki?"

"There is," said Itachi truthfully, "If you commit a crime eloquently twisted enough to garner the leader's curiosity then you might get a shot at meeting him."

Her brown eyes widened as she searched Itachi's eyes for any sign of a joke, "You're kidding right? What, you want me to bomb Konoha or something!?" she demanded, voice rising slightly.

Itachi cast a quick glance around before resuming their discussion, making no mention of the lack of control the woman had just displayed, "That is up to you, but don't expect to walk out of this with your hands clean."

Her eyes flickered again between the two men before Naoko inhaled a deep breath to calm herself. This was her choice. There was still time to back out…but how could she? With so many lives at stake, with Itachi's future and the peace of the kingdoms at stake…this wasn't the time to think of herself. Not that she could go back to day-to-day teaching.

"How did you get in?" she asked suddenly, "What did you do?"

Pictures, scenarios of the endless possibilities of the nature of Itachi's crimes flashed before her eyes. It hadn't occurred to her that Itachi's hands were possibly drenched in blood. Six…seven years, what else did the Akatsuki have him do? What will _she_ be coerced into committing?

He smirked, as if reliving the years of his youth again, "I became the broker…I dealt information to anyone and everyone, including _them_ , until the leader contacted me. Or someone working with him. Either way he proposed I join, but keep my persona as the broker a secret. 'Let's see if any of those fools figure it out on their own', were his exact words."

Kakashi caught the glitch in Itachi's plan right away, "But there was no meeting, and so you ended up in a cycle." There was even some sympathy in his voice. Just like Naoko, it seemed that Kakashi found it foreign to trust Itachi. For years they had lived with the knowledge that the man in front of them was a traitor, fraud and a rogue.

Yet in front of them sat Uchiha Itachi – brother and a loyal servant of Konoha.

"Yes," he nodded, "So my mission remains uncompleted."

Naoko deliberated every exchange of this night. Could she really afford to back out now? In front of her sat a man who had sacrificed years of his life, just to fulfil one mission. Perhaps when this is over then Itachi can even meet Sasuke…The possibility was there, dangling in front of Itachi's eyes. Family and state were quite possibly the only motivators that he had left to keep his sanity.

The redhead brushed away Kakashi's touch and nodded, "Alright…pretend to allow Hoshigaki to stray me from the path of righteousness, commit a heinous crime to meet the leader and then proceed to take down the Akatsuki…"

Her silver haired teammate chuckled next to her, "It sounds quite daunting when you put it like that."

Itachi had to bite back a smirk, "It's a waiting game, initially."

Naoko held back the urge to roll her eyes and she flashed the impostor a toothy grin, "Aren't you a ball of joy. How about you help me finish the scorpions so we could all go and grab a beer? We can't really plot much else without getting Tsunade's consent."

Their eyes met and Naoko picked up none of the negativity from before. Everything was good, they were good, Itachi knew that she hadn't meant it like that, right? To their surprise Itachi did pick up the spoon and scooped a mouthful of the black mass into his mouth.

Kakashi chuckled, "How is it? I don't trust Naoko's sense of taste."

The criminal, disguised as a fatherly businessman shook his head, "It's unique." He deadpanned, causing Naoko to groan, "It's not that bad!" she argued.

This felt wrong. Switching from discussing their mission to jolly bicker about food…but perhaps this was another method of Itachi's to keep his sanity. When was the last time that he had spoken freely with another human being?

"Good to see that some things never change…" mused Kakashi, swiftly dodging Naoko's smack that threatened to land right on his shoulder.

Itachi cast them one last look before rising, "Contact me if you know Tsunade's stance. Good night, Shimotsuki, Kakashi," he said with a respectful bow towards them both before resuming his personality as a mediocre businessman with a strange limp in his walk.

Kakashi watched him leave before glancing at Naoko, "Are you going to finish those scorpions?" he asked with the utmost seriousness, earning another attempted smack.

* * *

 _April 11, 6.23 AM_

The Hokage was in a foul mood, no day should start before 7 in the morning, yet here she was. Perched high in the sky in her glass tower with the hangover of the century, and already someone was rapping on the door. Tsunade pinched a pressure point on her hand to keep the headache at bay and prepare her to meet this early visitor.

"Come in!" she called, trying to supress the grogginess in her voice. In truth she wanted to slam the chair across the room and tell the person to bugger off. Actually, it was still a tangible possibility, one that was tempting her greatly.

Her eyes recognised the spiky silver hair in an instant and the Hokage was momentarily befuddled. Hatake Kakashi, the man notoriously late every single day was several hours early. He would be at home sleeping were this not serious…no, judging by the look of him the man hadn't slept the entire night.

"Kakashi," growled the Hokage, "This better be good." She snapped at the man before sinking down into the large leather seat. Tsunade's initial plan had been to down a few painkillers and douse off until someone comes to wake her, but apparently this was going to be ruined. Instead she had to rely on this grotesque chair to make her presence known because frankly, Tsunade was lacking the energy to do so right now, but last night had been completely worth the fatigue she was going through.

A thick folder was clutched in Kakashi's hand that he gracefully dropped on Tsunade's crowded desk before stepping back to a respectable distance, "We should change protocol, I know you will never read this…" the man grumbled, "Hatake Kakashi, requesting an extension to both I and Shimotsuki Naoko to be included into mission F87PPS10. The details of our involvement and possible outcomes are written in the folder in front of you. I suggest you read it and burn it to avoid any leakage."

Tsunade frowned, she didn't know of any on-going mission with that code, but Kakashi didn't make mistakes with details concerning the military. The manila folder was left untouched for the time being and instead she pushed away the mess of files to gain access to the keyboard.

Her fingers hastily typed in the mission code into her computer, drawing up a mission protocol dated several years back. The Hokage frowned, just what piece of old garbage had Kakashi dug out this time?

Old garbage that demanded Tsunade to verify her identity with her fingerprint…Ranked S-class.

The blonde slid her eyes over the first page of the mission protocol before freezing in her position.

Impossible. This had to be a fraud, some sort of scam or a practical joke, but one look at Kakashi solidified her fear that this was not the case. He was completely serious and determined to do this.

The further she read, the more implausible the situation seemed to be, yet suddenly it all made sense. Itachi's betrayal, disappearance…everything was connected after all, Shimotsuki had been paranoid, but apparently rightfully so.

Tsunade eyed the protocol that Kakashi had written up, most likely the night before and pushed it back towards him with the tips of her manicured fingers, as if information could be transferred through touch.

"Take it, I want to know nothing about this." She replied tersely, shaking off the remnants of her sleepiness, "The less people involved, the greater the success rate of your mission. Possibility of a leak or betrayal is too great to take the risk, even if it is me."

Kakashi seemed relieved as much as he wanted to burn that stupid protocol right then and there. It was Naoko that demanded that they complete it the same night, despite not knowing how to compose one of those files that often proved to be as useful as the terms of agreement contracts that came with software. It was out of the warmth of his heart that Kakashi let his teammate sleep in while he himself showed up to deliver the wretched file in person.

"I take it that you will grant us the extension of orders and temporary leave from our teaching positions?" asked Kakashi, sounding nearly amused. The latter condition was for Naoko, who would no doubt worry about such a detail. What if she comes back and her teaching position is gone? The redhead would go insane and drop their mission entirely.

The Hokage gripped the edge of her table, "I don't want to even know how you stumbled upon this mission, but the fact that you did already proves that you have some head start, something to base your speculations on. What you're asking me if I'm willing to gamble the lives of two amazing Intelligence agents?"

"With all due respect, Hokage, I don't think that your permission could sway the decision. It would merely provide us with better resources and more liberty to act as we see fit."

This seemed too bizarre to be true and Tsunade sure as hell wasn't equipped to deal with it this morning, but it was tempting to grant them permission. It was possibly the same as signing their execution orders, but the sliver of success was still there. What if they succeeded?

She would have to put her emotions aside and think as a tactician. True, those two were valuable, but if they succeeded…Konoha's dominance would be solidified and they would have one less enemy to deal with in the future. One less threat to muddle the waters. Tsunade's eyes flickered to Kakashi, her voice resonating like iron.

"Do you realise the risk factors involved? Things may play out in such manner that it isn't the enemy to put a bullet through your head, but one of our own."

"I know that."

"Do you?" demanded Tsunade, "Does Shimotsuki realise that as well? You're dragging her down this path as well."

The mention of Shimotsuki drew a smirk from Kakashi who ruffled his hair out of habit.

"This was her own initiative, Shimotsuki is why we're even having this conversation."

This was a twist of events that Tsunade hadn't anticipated.

"Truly?"

"Indeed."

"Have you been taking your medicine properly?" asked Tsunade suddenly.

"Is this relevant?" deadpanned Kakashi who was just about as enthusiastic about the morning as Tsunade was.

"Yes," snapped the Hokage, "You never showed up for a follow up. Perhaps you're not fit for this mission. Then again you're not cackling up a lung, so I guess this is an improvement."

Kakashi recognised that she was merely stalling to garner a few more seconds and think this through. Tsunade had never been one to ponder on decisions long, instead relying on quick thinking and first instinct to guide her through the years and so far it hadn't failed.

"More or less, I think." Replied Kakashi dryly, playing along with Tsunade merely because he was equally tired and yearning to get that figurative permission slip from the Hokage.

"Fine, I shall make the necessary arrangements and provide you with higher level access. You will also receive codes to shut down all access to military files should it prove necessary. Permission granted, it will take me a few hours to make necessary arrangements…"

"Thank you, Tsunade." Kakashi yawned mid-sentence, before bowing lazily and turning to leave.

"Hatake?"

He stopped and looked lazily over one shoulder with his visible eye.

"Make sure you two come back alive, I don't care if it takes you a month or ten years, I want this to end with a positive result. That's an order, dismissed."

"Yeah-yeah," he waved lethargically to the Hokage before changing his course to the teacher's lounge. There was a lovely dark blue sofa there, perfect for his morning nap.

* * *

 **Hello all!**

 **This chapter was so much fun to write. I was/still am quite worried about how Itachi is turning out. Yes, he's a sweet-sweet man who is absolutely broken and doesn't display much emotion, but at the same time I believe that he would gladly embrace this chance of having some normal, honest conversations that don't involve murder and terrorism. I do find him one of the hardest characters to write properly.**

 **Until next time (which is hopefully quicker than several months!)**

 **Lilyholics**


	10. Smile for the Camera

10\. Smile for the Camera

* * *

A final exam question on Business was:

"Define what risk is?"

The shortest answer ever at one word was:

"This."

\- Anonymous

* * *

 _April 30, 8.22 PM_

The ambassador of Kirigakure was permanently annoyed as of today until the end of May. The month of spring, graduations and the bloody chuunin exams meant that for a month he would have to put up with the scum from every other kingdom. On any other time of the year he rarely had to tolerate the presence of other ambassadors, but during the chuunin exams they would all be invited to witness the individual one-on-one matches that sometimes took several days to complete – meaning the ambassadors would all be cosily cooped up on a tiny balcony.

Also the snake _trash_ would show his face as well, remaining as untouchable as the previous year, and all the ones before that.

Kisame was more than convinced that this formal sign of good will was just Tsunade's way to set off another war between the kingdoms. One misstep, one wrong remark and an old wound might be torn open, and wouldn't the Hokage just love that. It was all a farce, after all, the peace that is.

He tried to channel the irritation to gracefully hack through a tender steak, accompanied by a glass of fine red wine. Only then did he notice a familiar redhead enter the restaurant. Shimotsuki was still in her military uniform, a leather bag swung over her shoulder, most likely heading home after doing overtime. The woman walked up to the bar and ordered something; he couldn't read her lips from that distance. She paid up and while her order was being prepared cast a look over the hall, scouting for a place to sit.

Kisame scrutinised her every move through the crimson liquid, pausing to asses her next move. Would she try to make contact?

Their eyes met and Naoko smiled politely and nodded respectfully, but kept her distance. Perfect, a distraction for tonight's dinner that could maybe clear his foul mood for an hour or two. Kisame returned a toothy grin, making sure to flash his pointed teeth before motioning Naoko to join him. There's no way she could refuse such a direct invitation without causing any offense.

She grabbed the beer and thanked the barman before manoeuvring between the maze of tables and, after what seemed like an eternity, reaching the ambassador's table.

"Ambassador Hoshigaki," she greeted him courteously. This woman would make a fine diplomat indeed. Kisame rose and offered a polite bow before pulling out a chair for her. "No need to be so formal, Shimotsuki. Please, have a seat."

To his surprise Naoko showed no reluctance and gladly took up his invitation, "Thank you, I guess it isn't classy for a woman to drink beer alone at this time of the evening. You're helping me save some face!"

Kisame chuckled, "And a jounin no less, just one day before the chuunin exams. What will the public say, I wonder?"

The redhead drew some patterns on the tiny water droplets on the side of the glass, smiling to herself, "Before taking the exam myself I came here to drink a beer. I was so nervous because I was worried I'd get caught, being underage and all, but I didn't. And now I'm sending a group of my own genin to the exams and the feeling of nervousness is identical, because I realised that this is completely out of my control now, whatever happens. So I thought I might make this a tradition."

The ambassador raised his glass for a toast, smiling amicably, "A tradition I should copy, no doubt. I'll keep the incident of underage drinking to myself." _And I'll try to ignore that the beer you're drinking is low-grade._

Naoko laughed, "I imagine you might be stressed out, a few weeks cooped up with every ambassador is no small feat. Nerve wrecking I imagine."

Kisame's eyes flickered to the redhead cleverly, "Careful, you're implying that I have no desire to meet my lovely partners." He dragged out the final two words with some distaste, but his face didn't betray a thing. Years and years of practice was on his side. Naoko made a mental note to research this man. Did he have any official military training?

"Do you wish to trade places? I'd gladly get away from the organisational part of the exams; if I may let this tiny complain slip." Naoko was easy-going and casual, something Kisame hadn't witnessed in her before. Her posture was still perfect, most likely due to the uniform, but Naoko's face betrayed that she was done for the day.

On their first encounter she was rigid, but also cornered. The second time she had braced herself, but this time Kisame felt that the air was less tense around her.

He took another calculated sip of wine, grinning from ear to ear, "My dear, the only thing more numbing that mingling with politicians is organisational duties. I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer."

The woman smirked, "Indeed, political turmoil is much-much more entertaining. Hopefully this year goes by quickly and painlessly."

The ambassador raised an eyebrow, "If memory serves me right then last year one boy got his hand blown into mush, doesn't sound that painless after all?" His voice betrayed no compassion or worry for the incident, he could've been discussing the fine cuisine for all anyone cared. Oh no, Kisame remembered that particular incident well - it had been the one bright light in the dull scuffles the military called battles during the exams. One of the snake's manic scum had set off a grenade – say what you want about the snake, but he knew how to amuse.

Naoko pursed her lips in thought, avoiding Kisame's gaze, "And in return the Hokage helped build him a bionic arm. I'd say he came out a winner from that situation, _and_ he graduated as a chuunin."

Kisame tilted his head a little, "Do you think that was too much violence for the children?" He asked, purposefully hoping to force Naoko to stumble, slip up and stutter. One trial after another, hoops and rings for her to jump through until finally her foot will get caught up in one.

Yet the question was something that Kisame asked himself as well, suddenly provoking the memories of his own graduation exam. Two guns, a bullet in each of them, pitted against his best friend, the first and only child who saw past the mutation. "Kill him!" they said, and without hesitation Kisame grabbed the weapon and pulled the trigger.

Surprise, confusion, betrayal – several emotions flashed over the boy's face while his body fell backwards. Such a small, bland room to become of a child with so much potential, now dead and plastered over the walls. There was so much more that this kid could've given Kirigakure, so many more ways to go. What had happened to the body?

Physical contact jolted the ambassador out of his daydreams, or perhaps nightmares would be more accurate. Pain was his way to ground back to reality, and in this case the physical impulse was very real and tangible. Flashbacks like this didn't leave him whimpering like a child, Kisame knew very well what was reality and what was merely a, although he hated to admit it, painful memory.

Namely, the fine red vintage was now all over the table, mixed with specks of red of his own, forming a pretty impressive modern piece of art. Kisame looked at his hand and had to admit that it looked like a silver hedgehog. Oozing blood, pain – this was reality and he had slipped. Only then did it occur to him that there was someone else with him as well.

Naoko was making it increasingly difficult for him not to be a little impressed with her. She remained unfazed, sipping her beer. "Ambassador, should I escort you to the hospital? Or do you have a chauffeur?" Was it professionalism, or nonchalance, or perhaps was Naoko enjoying this demonstration of power? She most likely had no idea what had provoked this reaction, or perhaps she knew exactly which buttons to press?

Kisame waved away a panicky waitress who was trying to clean up the mess, offering the poor girl a few words of apology for the disturbance before smiling at Naoko. "There's no need for concern although it is appreciated, I'll text my driver." He said apologetically while fetching his phone with the one good hand he had. "I think I'll have to cut this pleasant encounter short, my pardons."

This was irritating, and messy. Kisame hated both of those words and he wanted _out_ of this situation. She will not be in control. Why was she in control? What had triggered the sudden change in mannerisms?

"A firm grip you have," noted Naoko, catching his attention, "Strange that the mention of violence triggered such a reaction. Is everything alright?"

Kisame's thin lips curled into an involuntary grin. Whatever this was, his interest was piqued and this little army rat had his full attention.

They stayed like this for the next few minutes, exchanging pleasant banter while Naoko was still finishing her beer. Finally the driver arrived and Kisame had to excuse himself. Naoko rose from her chair and bowed politely, wishing Kisame a quick recovery. Laser treatment was too risky to be used on minor injuries such as that; it was only used in case of major organ damage. Then again, who knows, maybe Kisame's mutated genes also granted him extraordinary quick cell reproduction.

While Kisame's back was turned, she used this chance to inconspicuously fill a tiny vial with his blood. The flick of her wrist was so smooth and natural that it escaped all notice, she made sure to be blocking the security camera with her body.

Now she had all that was necessary. The redhead pulled out a phone from her pocket, the necessary person on speed dial, "Hey, have you got a fridge? I've got something I can't really store at my house."

* * *

 _May 1, 10.00 AM_

At precisely 10 AM to the dot, Naoko slammed open the door to the academy's biggest auditorium. Today it was filled to the brim and bustling with excitement. A jounin was stationed to every other row with the necessary number of copies of the exam that the rookies were about to take.

"Good morning!" she greeted them cheerfully, met with an equally enthusiastic response. Save for the Uchiha and Hyuuga kid, not much of a surprise. Her eyes scanned the room quickly to verify that everyone from her team was there.

"Today marks the beginning of your first Chuunin exam. As you all might be painfully aware, the first part involves a written test. You need 51% to pass and enter the second stage."

As she was speaking, the rest of the jounin were handing out the copies, turned upside down for now. Naoko was eyeing them all like a hawk, well versed in how the rookies had a habit of cheating.

"If I or any other jounin catches you blatantly cheating, you fail. Chatter or exchange words with someone, you fail. Speak without permission from me or any other jounin, you fail. Once a jounin has decided that you were cheating I don't wish to hear any back talk, feel free to issue your complaints _after_ this exam has finished. Am I clear?" Naoko was pacing in front of the classroom in slow, deliberate steps. Her back erect and brown eyes narrowed and sharp. They had to be nervous; she was purposefully trying to frighten them.

"Yes ma'am!" resonated firmly back to her. She stopped in the middle of the room, her hands still behind her back.

Kakashi was late. No surprise, but she couldn't help but to feel irritated. Oh how he was going to be scolded once he bothered to show up. _If_ he bothered to show up at all. This was boring and tedious work, Kisame hadn't been wrong about that.

Naoko was painfully aware that just a few stories downward, the Hokage was welcoming each ambassador to the exams and making sure that…no one got physical. Not that any one of them would risk losing face in front of others, but Tsunade was in no mood to deal with murder under her watch.

"You have exactly two hours to complete this test. You may begin."

The first condition was a tricky one. ' _If we catch you blatantly cheating'_ , meaning that they were expecting to see solutions that were cunning and covert. Naoko knew that there were theoretical geniuses like Nara or Haruno, who will most likely pass with flying colours without any assistance at all.

Most of them were simple strategic problems that they had studied in their lectures. Battleground manoeuvring, basic strategies, army patterns and so on.

Naoko scanned the faces of her own pupils, and her stomach tightened in what might have been nervousness or excitement. All three of them looked positively alarmed, meaning that all three most likely were planning to cheat their way through. Damn, how come even Sakura was this worried? Did they step up the difficulty levels this year? Naoko hadn't exactly seen this year's test.

Luckily, it seemed that Nara failed to disappoint and was happily scribbling away. That means that there was at least one person who knew.

Just a few seconds later Sasuke was also frantically writing, Naoko recognised that faint red glint that his eyes had taken. Of course, Uchiha bionic eyes, amongst many uses, allowed the copying of movement.

Out of curiosity Naoko decided to check on the two Hyuuga kids as well. Granted, strange wrinkles were marring their otherwise smooth faces. If she remembered correctly then the Hyuuga's were basically granted x-ray vision.

Sakura was suddenly moving, attracting Naoko's attention. She opened a small case and took out a pair of completely normal looking glasses. The redhead nearly grinned, that sneaky, conniving, devious girl…Naoko knew as a fact that Sakura didn't need glasses, meaning that those speckles weren't quite as innocent as they seemed.

Just a few days ago Sakura had shared her knowledge of a toxin that could be injected to the unknowing victim and that compound would head to the victim's eyes via their bloodstream and transmit whatever they were seeing to those glasses. It was a short lived one, with the lifespan of a few hours and it didn't leave any traces to the victim's body.

How the hell did she get her hands on that? Most likely it was Nara that the girl had decided to infect.

Naoko knew that she wasn't the only one who recognised the toxin, Kurenai, another jounin from the Intel branch, was also smirking at the sight, but made no move to bust Sakura. That was the type of cheating that they were expecting. Calculated, careful and completely inconspicuous. Did they actually know that their answers only formed a fraction of what would become of them? The brighter ones probably figured out pretty easily that there is very little that they don't notice in this room under heavy scrutiny.

Now there was only Naruto left. Naoko was confident that Sasuke and Sakura had already secured their positions. He was seated next to the Hyuuga girl, Hinata was her name if Naoko was correct. She noticed her passing the answers to Naruto who…

That idiot.

He refused them all.

Despite the stupidity of this decision, Naoko couldn't help but to feel a little proud at this firm demonstration of beliefs. Not many would stick to their guns under this pressure.

She checked the time, only thirty minutes had passed. Damn, she was growing bored already.

* * *

 _May 1, 10.02 AM_

A male redhead photographer was lazily sprawled on his armchair, his chin resting on his palm and the other hand tapping impatiently on his knee.

"That girl, Yamanaka, she's fired." He mumbled under his breath as he listened to the seconds ticking away. Sasori _despised_ waiting amongst other things, but time was valuable and punctuality was the key to his heart. If this girl wanted to succeed as a model she'd have to learn to be on time.

Two minutes of his precious time, gone. Who was stupid enough to buy a clock for his studio that _ticked_ was the important question.

It was his only fault – being painfully aware of his mortality. Yes, it was ridiculously dramatic of him; Sasori was very knowledgeable about that, but he wasn't biologically that young. Almost forty, although his features were that of a man half his age.

Luckily none of his assistants caught that little mumble earlier; otherwise they'd be buzzing around him like bees, trying to placate his mood. His eyes caught one of his assistants making his way to him. Sasori was about to snap at him, but decided against it. Misplacing his anger wasn't one of his habits, and he damn well didn't plan to make it into one. His assistants were well trained by him and they did their job perfectly.

If only others could follow suit…

"Akasuna-sama, someone is calling you. Shall I tell them to try again in two hours?"

He held out his hand, "Depends on who it is." The assistant placed the phone to his outstretched hand, well aware that Sasori didn't let anyone else answer his calls, and he rarely answered during a photo shoot.

Brown eyes narrowed at the caller ID. What did he need this time?

He rose from the chair just as the Yamanaka girl was ushered inside. Sasori gave her a lazy look before waving his hand dismissively, "You're late. Stay there, I'm going to take this." If she was going to make him wait, then the girl might as well learn some patience as well. His eyes caught the baffled and offended look, but Sasori couldn't care less. She needed him more than he needed her.

Unless she proved to be bloody amazing.

Sasori headed out to the balcony, double checking that there was no one outside before answering the phone.

"Hoshigaki, how are you doing?" he answered with the blandest of voices, everything in his demeanour betraying that he had no desire to speak to the ambassador. The mutant was a brute with no eye for the arts. He barely deserved the services that Sasori occasionally offered.

Nevertheless, they were both Akatsuki and helped out one another, albeit begrudgingly.

"Manners? That's unlike you, Sasori; you're usually much more straightforward."

The redhead leaned against the railing, eyes narrowed, "What do you need?" Kisame wasn't one to make idle calls to play polite, at least not with the Akatsuki. Their alliance was a practical one born out of necessity, but still a damn unbreakable one.

There was a tense silence on the other end of the line, "Incriminating, no…just…I have an inkling about someone. I need to know what they're up to."

Detective work…tedious, boring and…well there was some room for artistic shots. There was some light in this situation. It didn't take long for Sasori to make up his mind, not that there was much room for refusal to begin with.

"Fine by me, name?"

"Shimotsuki Naoko, Konoha Intel."

* * *

 **Happy holidays everyone!**

 **I'm beyond happy to update again after months of silence.**

 **To be honest my mental health completely deteriorated during the summer and it only got worse when uni started and I was under constant stress and pressure, BUT I'm a lot better now. Or well, I'm dealing with it so it should be a bit easier now.**

 **Lots of love**

 **Lilyholics**


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